Recreating "The Hump"

[Guest Grant Williams]

Hello fellow pilots!

 

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in recreating "The Hump" with me? An airlift in a DC3 or C47 (there is a very nice freeware version out there on Flightsim) through Asia that took place in WWII.

 

It will be long, but I only want to undertake this if someone else is with me. I'm thinking of doing a group airlift, and imaging a lot of DC3s/C47s flying in formation over the Himalayas! A nice way to remember the golden era of aviation (with a little modern technology added of course).

 

Any takers?

[Guest Jorge Salguero]

I'm up for it! Just tell me what I have to do

[Guest Grant Williams]

Well thats just it. I need to get anyone who wants to do it together so we can plan out the flight. Because I've done some research and the city that the flights originally departed from... isn't in FSX. :?: :?: :?:

 

So.. I'm going to do some more research. Pull up some maps and see what kind of flight plan I can put together. Is there a teamspeak we could hop in and discuss, and even use for communication during the flight?

[Guest Grant Williams]

I did manage to find this map. Having a hard time figuring out what cities played a vital role though.

[Guest John Girard]

Guys, this great! My dad was a C-46 pilot flying the Hump in 1944 (He is alive and well at age 93 in Tx). I've flown the Hump in a C-46 that is available on the net - no longer have it but will look it up. Dad flew out of Sookerating usually where he was based. I'm fascinated by this theater of the "Big One". He arrived on station joining a new squadron of C-46s and was appointed as Training Pilot because he had most multi-engine time as a 23-yr old 1stLt! 1 1/2 yr later he was a Maj and squadron CO. Anyway, let me know whatever I can do - I'm in if you will have me.

[Guest Jorge Salguero]

Well just let me know the aircraft I need to learn in order to start the testing and practice.

[Guest John Girard]

The c-46 will do. FSX default will work.

[Guest John Girard]

I meant C-47, sorry, fat fingers.

[Guest Grant Williams]

Guys, this great! My dad was a C-46 pilot flying the Hump in 1944 (He is alive and well at age 93 in Tx). I've flown the Hump in a C-46 that is available on the net - no longer have it but will look it up. Dad flew out of Sookerating usually where he was based. I'm fascinated by this theater of the "Big One". He arrived on station joining a new squadron of C-46s and was appointed as Training Pilot because he had most multi-engine time as a 23-yr old 1stLt! 1 1/2 yr later he was a Maj and squadron CO. Anyway, let me know whatever I can do - I'm in if you will have me.

 

I think you are going to be the best source for the route map. I am envisioning a map we could create that could be used as a reference for the pilots so they know where to fly and each stop along the way. Ultimately, I'd like to do this whole thing in a formation fashion, with a lot of C-47s and DC-3s flying high and together!

 

I have a great freeware C-47 I found on Flightsim dot come that I was thinking we could all use. Its a pretty realistic and somewhat modernized because it has a nice GPS on the panel.

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.flightsim.com/vbfs/fslib.php ... d=19838165

[Guest Grant Williams]

Information on The Hump is incredibly hard to come by. I can't find hardly any resources on how to plan a route. One map I found had the route from Calcutta to Kunming, however, Calcutta isn't in FSX (lovely). So I've planned out a route on the southern side of "The Hump" (I have always hated FSX internal flight planning tools and its limitations).

 

The route goes something like this, and is about 4-5 hours flight time. It would make for an interesting evening for whoever participated!

 

VGEG - Chittagong (Near Calcutta)

VYCZ - Mandalay

VYLS - Lashio

ZPPP - Kunming

 

Each stopover would be for fuel, assuming we needed it. I am open to anyone who would like to change the flight plan or offer up a better or more accurate route!

[Guest John Girard]

Hump routes originated at primarily two airbases in Assam: Chabua, where headquarters was, and Sookerating. Both exist in FSX. There were also bases at Mohanbari and Dinjan. Haven't checked for those. Give me a few days and I'll figure out a way to scan and send some better maps and also actual, at that time, classified approach plates. Kunming was the Eastern terminus and it is also in FSX. There were several routes that were used depending on time of war and a/c type flown:

1. Sookerating - Ft Hertz - Kunming (487 statute miles)

2. Chabua - Ledo - Yunanyi - Kunming (507 mi)

These were primary routes.

[Guest Grant Williams]

Okay. Sookerating I did see while fishing around on the map. However, I never did find Ledo.. which I've seen on a few maps so far, so it must be an important area.

[Chris Raabe]

Don't do this without me! My PC is on the fritz and I'm trying to resurrect it. What time frame are yall looking at to do this?

[Cody Outten]

I might be able to join. Depends what time you guys do this.

[Guest Grant Williams]

Not sure on time frame. I know Jonathan and I were talking last night, probably going to run a test flight to see what its like, and then write up a little PIREP for everyone to read. If we need to we'll wait around for ya seeing as how your PC is acting up. :D

 

I looked at the Wikipedia article, and didn't find much information on the airfields. Maybe I need to be a better skimmer. lol.. I'm checking out the map now.

[Guest Grant Williams]

Okay. So I found the route from Sookerating to Kunming. However, Fort Hertz was not on FSX that I could find. Here is a screenshot of the route. I guess another option is to the the "Easy" route from Chabua? One interview I watched on YouTube of a Hump pilot, said that there was an oil field near Chabua so out of that base they flew primarily oil in the C46's.

[Guest Jorge Salguero]

I'm available until 3PM weekdays and 4PM friday/saturday

[Guest John Girard]

Didn't fly oil, but flew much avgas in 55 gal drums. Also, a real challenge - they filled planes' tanks full before leaving India. Then in China drained the plane fuel tanks down to minimum required for the return trip. If weather too bad in India, many crews had to bail out as they did not have enough reserve to make alternate field. Dad said this was not a morale booster. But it did make them learn their nav basics! All they had was RDF.

[Guest Grant Williams]

So in terms of the route we take in FSX. Anybody have any ideas? Since some of the airfields aren't there like Ft. Hertz?

[Guest Grant Williams]

Okay. So Jonathan and I might need to look into this on our test flight. But that amazing freeware C47 that I found has a slight problem I'm afraid and I may contact the original designer of the model to see whats going on... But in the last 3 flights, 2 of them I had engine fires... in both engines... right after departure... with little altitude to glide back to the field. So... that might pose a slight problem.

 

Could you post the links to the aircraft you found Jonathan, might be nice to try some other models out just in case. The default DC3 might be an option too, unfortunately.

[Guest John Girard]

Keep in mind, Ft Hertz wasn't an airfield, just a friendly base with a nav beacon. Flights from Assam to Kunming were all planned and flown non-stop - returns too. Myitkyna (pronounced mich- y- na) was the only intermediate airbase. And it was out of action during the time that the Japanese held it. Purpose of the airlift was to fly supplies (mostly avgas and ammo) to support Chinese Nationalist Army, Kuomintang, under Chang Kai Chek. Also, in support of US forces under Gen "Vinegar Joe" Stillwell and Merrill's Marauders. Flights returning from China primarily carried severely wounded although some combat units were trNsported from China to India when Japanese threatened attack on India. Again, once the plane left home base, Kunming was do or die destination.

[Guest John Girard]

At the risk of boring you, I'll add that the strategic purpose of the airlift was to keep Chinese in the war as they were tiring down a couple hundred thousand Japanese troops that could have been used elsewhere. I neglected to say that USAAF units needed the avgas also. Flying Tigers and, later, a few squadrons of B-29s that bombed Japan. No one even hoped that Chinese would defeat Japanese forces - tieing them down was enough.

[Guest John Girard]

Would be great if possible. I flew the routes a couple years ago but could not do it realistically because of the lack of radio signals. The crews used triangulation to plot their position while enroute. They used unidirectional beacons to align for final approach. Often planes were stacked 10 high above air bases at 500 ft intervals waiting to land in bad weather.

[Guest Grant Williams]

Okay so the route was non-stop. Should we just go direct? Because the ADF beacons are probably not going to be in the sim.

[Guest Grant Williams]

FYI ICAO "VYPT" is in Putao, Burma which is the historic location of Ft Hertz so we could use that as a RON stop.

 

ALso, guys, i hear talk of launching off this week. Maybe as an exploratory "first flight", but I think we should do this right and try to get it on the calendar, rally the troops, try to muster 25 people to fly at least. Make a group of planes available, preferred routes, airfield diagrams, etc. I'm not against half-assing a first attempt but I want to build something decent that we can even distribute to other servers.

 

Jonathan

 

You have seen my vision! Just think... 25, C47's flying high above the jungle. As I told Murphjos on FlightDesk, I'm growing tired of flying airliners. All that is, is changing autopilot settings. This flight, once we get it together, will be epic. And actually flying.

 

Here is what I am wanting to do with this, as Jonathan said.

 

1. Increase awareness of the flight

1. Create media such as maps, flight logs, etc

1. Create a package of planes, and if possible scenery (as mentioned by Jon)

 

Is there any way we could hop on a TeamSpeak server, or Skype and get together to delegate tasks to one another? So as that one person gets and designs maps, one person timetables, one person scenery pack/aircraft, etc? I'm totally down for doing this the right way.