CNB - DC-4

[blanston12]

Hi Team,

I have been looking for a way to get the DC-4 into our system and discovered that in the early 1960's Starways airlines had a fleet of 7 DC-4's (and two Viscounts) based in Liverpool and Newquay. I added 7 DC-4's to our CNB prop fleet using registration codes from Starways DC-4's and created a flight plan for them based on 1961/1963 timetables.

We should probably set there base as Liverpool.

PACA has a pretty large DC-4 network and I am sure we can get them codeshared to give us a pretty good network. If anybody know of any other British airlines that had an interesting DC-4 routes let me know and we can get them in also.

[simondix]

I was looking at a few old BOAC Timetables from the late 40s and they showed DC-4s as opposed to Argonauts on a few flights.

[simondix]

I would volunteer to bring the American one back but I would have to break the flight into short legs of about two and a half hours max.

[blanston12]

Hi Simon, your welcome to bring the one back from the states. I think the route is going to go through KORD, KLGA, CYQX and EINN so hopefully that is going to be broken up enough for you.

I have looked for BOAC time tables that show DC-4's but as far as my research has shown the are the DC-4M better known as the Argonaut, but if we could confirm BOAC did in fact use the standard DC-4 that would be great.

[blanston12]

I found on FlyAwaySimulations a repaint for a DC-4 in BOAC colours with registration G-AJPO, it says that it was the only DC-4 used by BOAC. I have not been able to confirm this and when I searched for that registration I found a couple sites that said it was owned by Skyways. one of them said the previous owner was KLM.

The repaint itself is for an old fs 2002/2004 model by FS-Design Berlin so its not going to be much use in a modern sim but it is a data point.

[simondix]

Had quite a few operators including Air France and KLM. Crashed in Madras as VT-DIA

[simondix]

If you look at the March 1949 Timetable it shows a flight sequence by Skymaster.


http://timetableimages.com/ttimages/ba2.htm

[simondix]

They started having deliveries of Argonauts in March 1949 so could be that they were called that at first.

[simondix]

Ok I will need to do a type rating on the DC-4. perhaps the first 2 legs of the delivery flight.

[blanston12]

Simon I think that since you already have a rating for the North Star, a variant of the DC-4, we can just give you the rating.

I found the March 49 time table and it does indeed say SkyMaster, but no mention of the Argonaut in it. I found a 51 time table that mentions Argonaut and shows Skymaster for other airlines but not BOAC. Was BOAC using the DC4/skymaster at at that time or were they actually Northstars before BOAC adopted the Argonaut trade mark?

Examing the routes in that 49 timetable, they run from London to the Middle east (Abadan, Baghdad, Bahrain). If that single post on FlyAwaySimulations and BOAC did only have one DC-4 then it would have to be a combination of Skymasters and North stars.

So the question is what do to with? We could add the skymaster to either all Argonaut routes or just those listed in March 49 or do we assume all are argonauts and not add the Skymaster.

One interesting note, that timetable also has a cargo route for a liberator, I did realise liberators were being used for cargo at that time, especially not for commercial cargo. My reading was that the liberator was not a great cargo aircraft (including the cargo variants) and with dedicated cargo aircraft available I am surprised that BOAC would be using them.