...OK....🙂...you know by now that my favorite times of the day in MSFS are those twilight moments (dawn and dusk) that surely hold a special place and memories in all our hearts...whether you may have experienced those moments in a mountain valley as the shadows slowly but steadily creep down towards the ground, or on an ocean beach as the sun dips below or rises above the waters in the distant horizon. Even in the dense metropolitan areas of a big city such as Chicago here, occasionally one might spot glimpses of the (unusually) large disk of the golden-red sun in low horizon, visible across from all the man-made obstacles in between...trees, automobiles, buildings, telephone-poles and such. In fact, this is what I experienced just a couple of days ago, while driving along, which made me exclaim, "Look at that sun...!"...🙂...I read, "While we often use the terms "dawn," "dusk" and "twilight" interchangeably depending on the time of day, both dawn and dusk have specific astronomical meanings."...Oh well...without going into the astronomical connotations, to me, especially in MSFS, these terms are all synonymous...🙂...

In one of my longest flights (~10,000 miles) in the SIM ever, in MSFS, that I did/posted about recently here, I went through 2 dusks and 1 dawn in the same flight. It was a most remarkable experience, in an otherwise monotonous (virtual) flight...with due respect for those pilots who conduct such (marathon) flights routinely in their professions...and which type of flights, I've myself also had some travel experience with...

I like to test-run my new (MSFS) aircraft in such twilight because it's so much more beautiful to see how the a/c look in the iridescent glow of these special moments...bringing out some of the hidden elements of their character...🙂...at least in my mind. So, here we go, with the MSFS/Asobo DHC-6-300 Twin Otter that I tested today in MSFS2024 for the first time. We aviation hobbyists are no stranger to the (endearing) DHC series airplanes. Starting from the Classic DHC-1 Chipmunk (who can forget the Rick Piper's (freeware) version that was so popular in our early SIMs; I recall flying that (little) one and the (big) PMDG MD-11 on the same day...🙂...) that had started it all for the DHC company in Toronto (Canada), via De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC), a subsidiary of the original de Havilland Aircraft of UK...noting significantly that the letter "C" was added to "DH", thereby also immortalizing, on the opposite side of the world, the legendary legacy of "Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, OM, CBE, AFC, RDI, FRAeS"... BTW, I don't know what all these epithets mean, but it all sounds incredibly impressive...🙂...

The glory days of the aviation pioneer, Geoffrey de Havilland, drew its final curtain in Europe, with (fall of) the de Havilland Comet aircraft (world's first commercial jet airliner). A note of interest I caught from the on-line (past) news, "Today, Nov. 9, 1980, Dan-Air operated the last commercial flight of a de Havilland Comet aircraft, aircraft G-BDIW. The type, which had been delivered from the Royal Air Force (RAF) in August 1975, operated a special enthusiasts' charter flight from London Gatwick (LGW)..."

Anyway, just for the records, here follows the full list of the DHC variants (-1 through -8) that continued the rich tradition of de Havilland (all these variants, most of us have flown in the SIM either via freeware or payware renditions): DHC-1 Chipmunk, DHC-2 Beaver, DHC-3 Otter, DHC-4 Caribou (first DHC twin-prop), DHC-5 Buffalo, DHC-6 Twin Otter (of this post), DHC-7 Dash 7 (first DHC quad-prop), and finally DHC-8 Dash 8 (back to twin-prop; and one we know too well via Majestic Software; I miss that one in MSFS, as much as I miss the PMDG JS-41, two of the finest turboprops ever rendered in our SIMs...). 

Believe it or not, the DHC-6 Twin Otter, see images below, has been in continuous production for nearly 70 years, now into its "5th" generation, and because of its incredible versatility and durability, it would likely survive production till 100 years...thanks to the latest DHC-6 Classic Series 300-G Variant! B737 enthusiasts, please note, this DHC-6 heritage outdoes even the (unbeatable) 737, which is now into 68 years of production, and into its "4th" generation with the latest MAX series. I invite you to view (on-line) pictures of the flightdeck of the ultra-modern DHC-6 (300-G), featuring Garmin G1000 NXi integrated avionics suite, along with FMS, GFC 700 Autopilot, Weather Radar, TCAS etc. Last year, in Paris International Air Show, the "300-G" quickly garnered interest and "LOI" (Letters of Intent) totaling ~50 aircraft orders. So, as you view, in my below images, the most rudimentary avionics of this DHC-6-300 Classic, you may also think a bit about the ultra-modern "300-G" variant of the DHC-6...

I find in this (Asobo) DHC-6 version, I'm flying today, an (archaic) pedestal autopilot panel, along with a (standard) Bendix King KFC-225 Autopilot and also (thankfully) dual GNS 430/530 GPS units (see the close-up cockpit shot). Frankly, however, I was hoping for an authentic simulation of the (legacy) Bendix King KLN-90B GPS for greater realism and challenge...🙂...I do vividly recall the KLN-90B from our past SIMs especially in the Aerosoft Versions of the DHCs (Beaver, Otter, and Twin Otter - all these had felt wonderful to fly in the earliest days of my bygone FSX era) ...

So, please find this collection of 17 pictures of the DHC-6-300 Twin Otter, on a short test-circuit, here, lifting off NZCH/Christchurch Rwy 20 (i.e., inland and away from the Bay), and landing back on Rwy 02, while bathed in the (brilliant) golden lights of sun...around (local) time 8pm dusk...🙂....(BTW, I really should stipulate that my passengers visit a (reputable) hairstylist, before boarding my plane...🙂...What's up with those unsightly zombie look-alike folks seated behind my seat... a bit un-nerving, if you ask me...🙂...!) ...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pictures, below, of this venerable and endearing DHC classic and workhorse of a lifetime ...!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to the folks in U.S. and best wishes to all...!

Edited November 28, 20241 yr by P_7878

Great flight, P_7878. I like the hair style of your passengers 🙂

Fine set of shots !

cheers 😉

Nice sunny shots of the aircraft P_7878! 🙂

bernd, pmplayer, Andreas et al.:

Many thanks for the comments and responses...!

Outstanding shots P. That dude with the weird hair and crazy eyes is kinda scary.

That guy in the 3rd image looks like I feel.

Great set of shots! 😉 

Adam, Richie, Will:

Thank you for chiming with some additional comments and thoughts...🙂...