Microsoft Flight Simulator released another aircraft as part of its Local Legends series, in conjunction with World Update XII: New Zealand, the DHC-4 Caribou.
From aerospace manufacturer de Havilland Canada, the DHC-4 Caribou is the eighth addition to the Series, a twin-engine, short take-off and landing (STOL) cargo aircraft originally developed as a military cargo and troop transport. The Caribou was conceptually based on the STOL performance of the smaller de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and DHC-3 Otter, but with a greater payload.
The Caribou first flew on July 30, 1958 and was introduced into mainline service in 1961. De Havilland built a total of 307 Caribou planes, with the majority going into military service and the rest serving civilian assignments. Servicemen from 32 countries have flown in the Caribou, including the United States. Designated first as the CV-2 and later as the C-7, the US Army and US Air Force operated a total of 159 of the planes. Spain, Kenya, India and Australia also used the fuselage until 2009.
The DHC-4, manned by two pilots, can carry up to 32 soldiers and their equipment along with 8,000 pounds of cargo or some combination thereof. The Caribou has a distinctive, utilitarian look, featuring a long, narrow fuselage with an aft cargo ramp and raised tail section, allowing for easy and efficient loading and unloading of equipment and personnel.
It can also perform equipment and/or parachute drops on demand. The empennage is a cruciform design, with a large vertical stabilizer and rudder for low-speed yaw authority and has a retractable tricycle landing gear with long landing gear legs for use at remote and rustic airfields. The main wing’s high-aspect-ratio design mounts forward of the fuselage and features full-span double-slit flaps.
The wing has a polyhedral inverted gull shape and supports its two radial engines on nacelles that also serve as supports for the main landing gear. Finally, the aircraft is powered by two 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin Wasp radial piston engines, each providing 1,450 horsepower and turning a 3-blade Hamilton Standard constant-speed reversible pitch propeller.
The Caribou has served in several combat zones and has been used for a variety of humanitarian assistance missions over the years, most notably in Vietnam, Vanuatu and on the Line of Control along the India-Pakistan border region. In these tough operating arenas, the Caribou earned its legendary status as she took off and landed on short, bumpy runways with just 300 meters of bank.
The DHC-4 has a range of 1,300 miles, climbs at 1,355 feet per minute and has a service ceiling of 24,800 feet above sea level. It cruises at 182 miles per hour, stops at 68 mph and has a top speed of 215 mph.
The DHC-4 Caribou from de Havilland Canada is a beast of an aircraft that is a true aviator machine. It can enter and exit almost any airstrip and confidently responds to every pilot input.
Available today at Microsoft Flight Simulator On the market for $14.99, the DHC-4 Caribou comes with seven liveries:
- Standard
- Blue with red stripes
- Blue with white and red accents
- Blue with yellow stripes
- Camouflage 1
- Camouflage 2
- White
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