Hello, Captains!
I have just completed what must have been the most challenging flight I have ever done with the DC-6. For the last 30 or so minutes, I was literally sweating and my nerves were getting the best of me, but I managed to set her down nicely, and most of all, without damaging the engines (too much)… So you want to see how good you are and see some AMAZING sights while you are at it? Here is the challenge.
Plan a flight from VECA to ZUUU - it’s from Chabua in Assam, India to Chengdu, China. Roughly 500 NM and my flight time was around two and a half hours. You can plan it however you wish - I used Navigraph. I will even provide you a hint - to clear the highest peaks enroute you will need to cruise at FL210 (despite Navigraph suggesting 13,700 or some nonsense - you will never make it)… So set that cruise altitude in the World Map before you load the flight! The ATC will adhere to it. Load the B variant with 2500 lbs of cargo and 34 passegers along with 50% fuel load. Your mileage may vary, but weather is pretty challenging in those parts right now as you can see by my screenshots. You CAN fly it in clear skies, but Live weather will DEFINITELY challenge you to the core.
Here is the gist of what you need to to and how I was able to do it. Both origin and destination are not very high up - Both are below 2,000 elevation. So you will need a SUBSTANTIAL climb and descent for the flight. You WILL need to use high blowers on superchargers, so make sure you are well versed in how to use them.
Here is one more hint on your journey… What Captain Randazzo taught you about the descent profile being 500 ft/min? You are gonna have to let go of that. (Sorry, Rob). Up until VERY late, the terrain won’t allow you to descend as early as you normally would in order to get down safely and with your engines intact. I flew my flight with MSFS default ATC and they are actually VERY on point on that particular route, so you may use them. So, you WILL need to descend at rates of approximately 1,500 ft/min. THAT means you will need to slow down enough prior to descent so that you can descend pretty much on full flaps and not overspeed them. This means not only will you need to manage flaps (there won’t just be progressive deployment and that’s it - you are gonna need to retract some degrees at points and then deploy them again), but you will need to manage your BMEP because even with AFE, the rapid altitude changes will have an effect on power, so you don’t want to overspeed, you don’t want to stall, and you don’t want to beat your beautiful radials into oblivion.
In other words, if you want a challenge and something that will likely push you to the edge of your seat, THIS is one of many journeys. If you are lucky, you will also see some incredible sights (I do highly recommend Bijan’s Seasons mod if you have that - it’s what I fly with all the time and I don’t know what it will look like without).
Good luck and let me know if anyone feels like trying this!
Here are some shots!
