The DC-6 Pack SIX

Welcome to the virtual airline that is built around what is arguably the best piston quad-prop-liner ever built, the Douglas DC-6. Over 800 flights are offered, including complete DC-6 schedules from over thirty historic carriers. These flights were sourced from historic timetables found online, and span the globe. Some known technical stops are also included. PMDG payware owners and Cal Classic/JBK freeware fans alike have the opportunity to fly their historical liveries as they were flown, back in the day. There are several VAs out there that fly the traditional US and European legacy carriers with the DC-6. This VA strives to be a little bit out of that ordinary league, bringing the ultimate DC-6 pilot's airline alliance to FS Hub. There's still some of that old-school trans-Atlantic stuff too. Route duplication was avoided, as denoted by flight number usage information in italics. Remember, online flying is not a requirement. so there' s no need to get too analytical about the callsigns involved. FS Hub tracks the plane's type, not its' livery.

Our historic airlines and flights include the following (the logos are in clockwise order, above):

Aerolineas Argentinas (ARG), 1958 (SAEZ hub) 44 flights flights on the GOOY-LPPT-LEMD-LICR routing and vice versa use Panair flight numbers; flights on SBPA-SBSP-SBGL routing and vice versa use Real Aerovias flight numbers

Aeronaves de Mexico (ADM), 1966 (MMMX hub) 46 flights KPHX-KTUS and vice versa flights use American flight numbers

Air Congo, 1966 (FZAA hub) 22 flights

American Airlines, 1951 42 flights (KMDW hub) MMMY-MMMX and vice versa flights use Aeronaves flight numbers

Aviateca (GUG),1968 (MGGT hub) 12 flights

Braniff International (BNF), 1953 (KDAL hub; Panagra duplication removed) 32 flights

Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPA), 1957 (CYVR hub) 32 flights

Cathay Pacific Aiways (CPA), 1956-59 (VHHX hub) 14 flights flights between VTBD and WSAP use PAL flight numbers)

Compañía de Aviación Faucett (CFA), 1967 (SPJC hub) 22 flights

Continental Air Lines (COA), 1954 (KBJC hub substituting for Denver Stapleton; all other airline overlaps removed) 14 flights

Delta Air Lines (DAL), 1952 (KATL hub) 18 flights

Ethiopian Airlines (ETH), 1960 (HAAB hub) 14 flights

Hawaiian Airlines (HAL), 1964 (PHNL hub) 8 flights (may also be flown on the DC-3)

Icelandair (Flugfélag Íslands; ICE), 1963 (BIKF hub) 14 flights

Japan Air Lines (JAL), 1954-60 (RJTT hub) 24 flights

LACSA (LRC), 1964 (MROC hub) 12 flights

National Airlines (NAL), 1952 (KMIA hub) 24 flights; KTPA-KMSY and vice versa flights use Delta flight numbers

Northwest Airlines (NWA), 1957 (KMSP hub, RJTT mini-hub) 40 flights; RJTT-ROAH and vice versa flights use JAL flight numbers

Olympic Airways (OAL), 1964 (LGAT hub) 34 flights, over half of which are DC-3 exclusives

Panagra (PGA), 1954 (MPTO hub; US-flag carrier) 32 flights, including some DC-3 allowed, and two DC-3 exclusives

Panair do Brasil (PDB), 1959 (SBGL hub; Panagra & Real overlaps eliminated) 22 flights, including some DC-3 allowed

Pan American World Airways (PAA), 1956 (KMIA & KJFK hubs; see below) 60 select flights, including some DC-3 allowed, and two DC-3 exclusives; LICR-OLBA and vice versa flights use Panair flight numbers

Philippine Air Lines (PAL), 1954 (RPLC hub) 34 flights ROAH-RJTT, VHHX-VTBD and PWAK-PHNL-KSFO flight routings (and vice versa) use JAL flight numbers; flights between LEMD-LIRC-OLBA use Panair flight numbers

Real Aerovias (BSL), 1961 (SBGL hub) 60 flights, including 26 Curtiss C46 exclusives; PHNL-PWAK-RJTT & vice versa flights use JAL flight numbers

Sabena (SAB), 1949 (EBBR hub) 14 flights; CYQX-KJFK & vice versa flights use Pan Am flight numbers

Swissair (SWR), 1954 (LSGG & LSZH hubs) 34 flights services beyond Lisbon use Panair flight numbers; services between KJFK and EINN use Sabena flight numbers

Transports Aeriens Intercontinenteaux (TAI), 1953 (LFPO hub) 6 flights (inaugural DC-6 service Paris-Madagascar)

TEAL (TEA), 1958 (NZAA hub) 10 flights

Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), 1964 (YSSY hub) 14 flights (also flyable in Ansett-ANA livery, due to Australia's two airline policy of the era)

United Air Lines (UAL), 1949 (KSFO hub; KBJC Denver substitution, Western duplication removed) 39 flights

**United Arab Airlines (MSR), 1964 (HECA hub) 9 flights

Western Airlines (WAL), 1956 (KLAX hub) 30 flights

As a way of avoiding excessive airline network overlap, the "ghost airport" issues in Europe (see Notes below), and still getting usage out of the many liveries available out there, certain permitted special connections out of certain airports are as follows:

Connecting to/from Copenhagen (EKCH): SAS (1952) ESSA

Connecting to/from Dakar (GOOY): Air Afrique (RKA, 1965) GMMN and GQNN and a DIAP-DBBB-DNMM (& vice versa) routing

Connecting to/from Glasgow-Prestwick (EGPK): SAS 1952 routings: ESGG-ESSA-EFHK and ENBR-ENGM-ESSA (and vice versa)

Connecting to/from Shannon (EINN): KLM (1951) EHAM

Connecting to/from Santiago (SCEL): LAN Chile (1969) SCIP-NTAA routing (and vice versa), SCCI

QANTAS (QFA) shows a spot of DC-6 service in the 1954 timetable; a Sydney-Darwin-Manila-Iwakuni-Tokyo run flown on then-freshly-acquired BCPA aircraft before they became TEAL's fleet. These flights are in the VA network, as they offer nice connectivity in that part of the world. Several QANTAS liveries are available for the PMDG aircraft (MSFS). The use of the L749 and L1049 Constellation is also permitted for these flights, as those were the airline's preferred types.

Lastly, we come to the Rio-Sao Paulo Ponte (shuttle) that Varig ran for years with the Lockheed Electra. Before that, in 1969, VASP served the Ponte with the DC-6 in their fleet mix. In deference to the VASP VA at FS Hub, and the fact that almost all other VASP '69 routes are Real '61 routes, the Ponte flights with this VA have VASP flight numbers, and no type restrictions. These flights are a natural for online group flights, when the time comes.

That's all you need to get started here (other than knowledge of how to obtain and install aircraft liveries, and how to fly the DC-6). Enjoy the liveries, the flying, the scenery and racking up your flight hours. Don't forget to review your load sheet, and plan your fuel carefully for trips back in time. More detailed information follows below.

NOTES: All of the flights were determined through dogged research at www.timetableimages.com -but SIX VA pilots are not required to adhere to the schedules exactly. The small smattering of DC-3 and C-46 services is to provide some variety, as well as some additional destinations and verisimilitude. A majority of DC-6 pilots got their airline careers started on DC-3s and C-46s (which also had the same engines as the -6). The ongoing development of other golden age prop-liners for MSFS is closely monitored for expansion possibilities that fit this milieu.

Alaska Airlines used the DC-6 in Alaska. Those flights actually began as some of the Pan Am services presented here; selected flights only, for VA network enhancement. Out of respect for FS Hub management, we do not list Alaska Airlines services, so that the "in house" Alaska Airlines VA might see your DC-6 action (as per a 1959 timetable). Similarly, Eska Airways is doing the few known Reeve Aleutian flights, so they are not listed here. Northwest Airlines used the -6 domestically, and kept one based in Tokyo for regional connectivity. NWA never used the DC-6 across the northern Pacific, but there are ways of going all-DC-6 across the ocean. Pan Am flights were selected to flesh out and enhance the overall network, and are not the complete representation of the year's DC-6 services, as with the other carriers listed here.

Several Brazilian airlines used the DC-6. Varig directly inherited the Real machines and routes. Use of a Varig livery thus remains optional on domestic Brazilian Real flights, as that is how Varig used the DC-6 until 1968. Panair and later VASP used the same family of machines originally bought by AeroLoide. Panair's time with the type was a brief 2 years. These aircraft then served with VASP on major domestic trunk routes. Out of respect for the VASP VA here at FS Hub, we leave that aspect where it belongs. The Panair services represented here are one of only four forays made by this VA across the Atlantic by design. A technical stop in frigid Kangerlussuaq (Søndre Strømfjord), Greenland or Gander (CP Air both), temperate Santa Maria (CP Air again), or tropical Dakar (THE stop between northeast Brazil and Lisbon for several airlines) is involved with these Atlantic crossings.

About "ghost" airports: Hong Kong Kai Tak is well-represented across every sim platform that is track-able in FS Hub. Other famous airports of yore are not so fortunate, so certain carriers that hubbed or had significant operations there are more of a challenge to do with proper accuracy. With Old World carriers, there are more ghost airport issues; Fornebu, Hellinikon, Kemoryan, Nicosia, Reim and Tegel, to name a few. With The DC-6 Pack, the liberty was taken to substitute Edmonton International for the old Downtown (a.k.a. Industrial) Airport, for the NWA flights involved, and FS Hub does not recognize CYXD. This left doing Pacific Western Airlines off the table, unless it becomes a pilot request (about 20 flights). Similarly, the present lack of a proper Denver Stapleton across all platforms served to limit Western Airlines services to 1956. Another 26 Western city pairs were thus left on the table, due to the Denver issue, until it was decided that KBJC was a logical alternative that would work for all platforms, and be recognized by FS Hub. That opened the door for United and Continental. Dedicated LGAT (Hellinikon) sceneries have been found for this airport across all platforms, and FS Hub recognizes it. There is thus method to the madness of how this VA is built. SIX VA does serve some historical airports that became military bases when replaced, most notably Manaus (SBMN), Natal (SBNT) and Singapore (WSAP). All fully depicted DC-6 airline operations were aimed at depicting peak operation of the type for the carrier, or when the -6 was considered a flagship type. Pan Am never flew the -6 on the premier trans-Atlantic services (flown by the Boeing 377 and Connie before that), but PAA flights were selected to facilitate some semblance of a European network connectivity for an overall airline that is based in the Americas. With Olympic Airways, DC-6 usage pivoted from premiere international routes in western Europe to domestic and eastern Mediterranean routes. Almost all of those western routes are duplicated within this VA by the flag carriers of the countries involved. The Olympic presented within this VA is thus "later stage" usage, but offers shorter flights over pretty scenery. Have fun with history!