The MSFS team, in collaboration with Orbx, has just dropped another airplane for its Local Legends Series. This time it’s the DHC-4 Caribou, a cargo plane developed by de Havilland Canada, whose release is tied to World Update 12: New Zealand. It’s the eighth addition to the series, and it’s a twin-engine, STOL aircraft that was originally designed for military cargo and troop transport.
The Caribou was inspired by the STOL capabilities of the smaller de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and DHC-3 Otter, but it has a bigger cargo capacity. It made its first flight in July 1958 and was put into service in 1961. de Havilland built 307 of them, most of which were used by militaries in 32 countries. The United States Army and Air Force alone operated 159 planes, but Spain, Kenya, India, and Australia also used the aircraft.
The DHC-4 Caribou has a rugged, functional design with a long, narrow fuselage, a rear cargo ramp, and an elevated tail section, which makes loading and unloading easy. It can hold up to 32 troops and their gear, along with 8,000 pounds of cargo or a combination of both. The plane is crewed by two pilots and has a distinctive cruciform empennage with a vertical stabilizer and rudder for low-speed maneuvering. Its landing gear is retractable, and its wings have full-span, double-slotted flaps.
This plane is no stranger to combat zones and has been used for humanitarian missions in Vietnam, Vanuatu, and on the India-Pakistan border. The harsh conditions found in these places, with rugged runways with as little as 1,000 feet of ground roll, established the Caribou as a specialist aircraft for these kinds of operations.
You can now get the DHC-4 Caribou on the MSFS Marketplace for just $14.99. Seven liveries are included, which are as follows:
- Default
- Blue with Red Stripe
- Blue with White and Red Accents
- Blue with Yellow Stripe
- Camouflage 1
- Camouflage 2
- White
