Cool, I didn't have that link.  Thanks.

I've got a PDF file with maps of routes from 1918 to 1955.  I'm not sure where I got it, but at the bottom it has:

HISTORIAN
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
APRIL 2018

The story of early aviation and the story of airmail is fascinating, and it's the same story.  Since the airmail followed rail lines (if the planes couldn't fly the mail was put on trains) I found a few railroad maps:

http://www.acwr.com/economic-development/rail-maps/union-pacific
http://www.acwr.com/economic-development/rail-maps/bnsf

The government paid a subsidy to fly airmail, and the biplanes occasionally carried passengers in the front cockpit, sitting on a sack of mail.  A good movie to see what this looked like is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Aviator_(1985_film)

Note this is based on a novel by Ernest K. Gann. 🙂 

It is interesting that Europe, especially France, was far ahead of the United States in both airmail and passenger service.  You might find some books by St. Exupery about it.

Later they used Ford and Fokker triplanes, a truly horrific experience and not one I'd recommend.  The DC-3 was very important because it was the first airplane that was profitable for passenger service without the airmail subsidy.  The earliest transcontinental route had passengers flying during the day and taking the train by night.

Flying in the western US, following railroads, it doesn't matter if you have period or modern scenery because it hasn't changed enough to matter.  It is rewarding to fly the same planes they flew, in the same conditions, and it is an exercise that requires skill instead of scholarship.  In P3D it's easier to follow roads in the eastern US as the rails don't show up well.  One thing for sure, MSFS desert scenery is MUCH better than stock P3D.

We might get away with using modern scenery, but we definitely need historic aircraft.

Hook

You need to come join us on the Mother Ship.

www.dc3airways.net

We only fly the DC-3 and DC-4. One of the oldest continuing operating VA, we have about 300 active pilots and fly on our own dedicated server four times a week using Swift and Teamspeak. You of course do not have to partake in the Multi Player flights, you can fly by yourself off line. Most of us use Manfred Jahn"s wonderful DC-3/C-47, but there are some payware options available too. We have hundreds of flight plans and would love to welcome you. Fly as much or as little as you want.

Howard 

Pilot # 240

To be honest if there were historical airplanes implemented I'd probably not even try them once.

59 minutes ago, Stratocruiser1 said:

You need to come join us on the Mother Ship.

Thanks.  I've been to your site in the past and it looks good.

I do love me some MJ C-47 and I've got more hours in it in my current installation of P3D than any other aircraft.  I'm hoping for something similar in MSFS. 

Always fun to fly something that doesn't have an autopilot or GPS. 😄  Why?  "Because I want to fly, not operate a flying computer." (Quote from one of the Breitling DC-3 around the world pilots)

Hook

 

2 hours ago, Wanderkroete said:

To be honest if there were historical airplanes implemented I'd probably not even try them once.

"Historic airplanes" doesn't just mean something like a Curtis Jenny.  The Boeing 707 and Concorde also qualify.  These aircraft don't fly themselves, so they take a little effort, but it's worth it to learn how they used to do things.  I kinda like the challenge.

Hook

30 minutes ago, Wanderkroete said:

To be honest if there were historical airplanes implemented I'd probably not even try them once.

 

1 hour ago, LHookins said:

 

We might get away with using modern scenery, but we definitely need historic aircraft.

Hook

One of the best simcraft in P3D is the A2A T-6 Texan. Pure joy to fly and historic aircraft by any means. Great to make mail runs on visual flying even if it is posterior to the great epoch of contract routes. Throw the bags in the back seat and look for the railroad tracks thanks to the wide canopy. 

But I should add that older Golden Age aircraft are difficult to modelize as the FS engine doesn’t do well to give the feeling of flight in a light, open cockpit aircraft, as smart as the designer might be. I am curious to see whether the new flight model architecture of FS20 can change that.

 

Itinerary from New York to San Francisco, you may like this one : http://www.airmailpioneers.org/content/img/flightinfo/directions.htm

Edited June 27, 20205 yr by Dominique_K

2 hours ago, LHookins said:

  It is interesting that Europe, especially France, was far ahead of the United States in both airmail and passenger service.   

In 1918, Pierre-Georges Latécoère who created L'Aéropostale had that weird idea to use aircraft to transport the mail from France to Chile. Yes, 1918. Yes, France to Chile. He looked into it and famously said :

« J'ai refait tous les calculs, ils confirment l'opinion des spécialistes : notre idée est irréalisable. Il ne nous reste qu'une seule chose à faire : la réaliser ! » 

"I redid the math all over again, it confirms what the specalists say : that cannot be done. That leaves us only one thing to do : to do it ! "

That would be a nice motto for the FS20 team, wouldn't it be ? 

 

What is FS20?

4 hours ago, Dominique_K said:

But I should add that older Golden Age aircraft are difficult to modelize as the FS engine doesn’t do well to give the feeling of flight in a light, open cockpit aircraft

The Super Stearman from https://goldenagesimulations.com/ does a pretty good job. 🙂  The Stearman in Microsoft Flight was even better.

Hm.  France to Chile.  That would explain why St Ex was flying the places he was.  I was wondering about that.

Hook

4 hours ago, Wobbie said:

What is FS20?

It appears someone has come up with yet another name for Microsoft's forthcoming flight simulator..

Just a thought - once all the A380s are retired and scrapped then they will become historic aircraft also... 

Thank goodness nobody is calling that aircraft an A38!

On 6/27/2020 at 6:00 AM, Wobbie said:

What is FS20?

clue, its not 1920 or 2120

Thanks, I only know of a Farming Sim known as FS20..