Just a few questions.

[Csendes Marcell 0]

Hello guys!

How are you? I need a little help with my purchase. I am willing to buy the DC-6 Cloudmaster, however, I have a few doubt/question.
So it's not really a question, I want this, however I am not sure where this plane actually flying in real life? I mean, is it something from the past or it's still used by airlines? 

What I am planning to buy really is the DC-6 CM and the 737. I have already own 747 and the 747-800 extension. 

Regerding the 777, I am not sure. What kind of differences there are between the 747 and 777? Afaik, it's smaller, but it's a long plane. Please help 🙂

Back to the topic. Do you guys still often use DC-6? I am sure it's worth it, my question is how easy it to fly?

I could pretty much learn using well the 747 and the FS A320X, but such a rotorcraft plane would be I guess more reliable and harder to learn. 

Please advice 🙂

[Chock 17,769]

The DC-6 is still used by airlines, but not many of them. Most are cargo configured (Everts Air Cargo). Only one DC-6  does regular commercial passenger flights (it flies for Namibia Commercial Aviation). Red Bull use one for promotional work (it is one which used to be operated by Namibia Commercial Aviation) and I think there is (or was) a DC-6 based in the UK configured for passenger charters up until fairly recently. There are some DC-6s used as fire retardant/water bomber aeroplanes in North America too.

It's worth bearing in mind that of all these 'DC-6s', some are likely to be A and some are likely to be B variants and some of them will be C-54s (the military version of the DC-6), but these are all essentially a DC-6 and not vastly different from one another in most respects. So yes, the DC-6 does still fly commercially, but you are unlikely to see it much at most airports. Of course none of that matters in a simulator, where you can fly anything you like to wherever you want.

[downscc 1,327]

2 hours ago, Chock said:

C-54s (the military version of the DC-6)

Oops... C-54s were DC-4s.  Our DC-6A is a C-118A.

Bottom line Csendes, this airplane is a throwback but still is the most fun thing to fly in flight simulation in my opinion.

[Chock 17,769]

18 minutes ago, downscc said:

Oops... C-54s were DC-4s.  Our DC-6A is a C-118A.

Bottom line Csendes, this airplane is a throwback but still is the most fun thing to fly in flight simulation in my opinion.

Yup, ooops you're of course correct, the C-118. I think I was actually thinking about the Northstar when I typed that, which was kind of half DC-4 and half a DC-6 lol

[downscc 1,327]

8 minutes ago, Chock said:

Yup, ooops you're of course correct, the C-118. I think I was actually thinking about the Northstar when I typed that, which was kind of half DC-4 and half a DC-6 lol

The only reason I caught it was not because I'm retired USAF, the earliest I rode was a C-119, but because my uncle was a prop mechanic on the C-118 in Germany during the "brown shoe" days of the early AF.

[Robert3512 21]

On 11/5/2018 at 11:18 PM, Csendes Marcell said:

Regerding the 777, I am not sure. What kind of differences there are between the 747 and 777? Afaik, it's smaller, but it's a long plane. Please help 🙂

Back to the topic. Do you guys still often use DC-6? I am sure it's worth it, my question is how easy it to fly?

The 777 has much more upgraded FBW systems and flight deck equipment, and obviously the flight dynamics are going to be pretty different from the 747...well they're 2 completely different planes from 2 different eras, not sure what you're asking about? Everything is different except the arrangement of the PFD/ND/EICAS? 

There's definitely a steep learning curve to the DC-6, especially with its engines. If you're used to the 747's autostart option, the DC-6's engines will be a pain in the butt to even start properly, or at all really. I recommend YouTube tutorials. Systems handling will be done by the Artificial Flight Engineer, including throttle control, gear and flaps control and almost all other systems, so you can focus on flying. 

[Leisurepilot 1]

I love this plane. At the beginning i also used the AFE, but it is much more interesting to handle the engines manually. Watching  the fuelflow, the 8 tank system and the engine settings for all are very well discribed in the manual. The autopilot works also well in lateral mode and holding height, so you have in flight enough time to manage the engines. The descent needs a little bit accurate planing, because it is not easy to manage height and speed on the approach.

Set and forget like in the 777, forget it.

Edited January 30, 2019 by Leisurepilot