| AVSIM Scenery Review: Chris Wilkes' Virgin Islands 2000 |
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The Caribbean Sea. Just thinking of it brings thoughts of white sandy beaches, sailboats tucked in small protected coves, towering mountains left behind by ancient volcanoes and coral reefs. Third-party scenery designers had created just that look for those flying Flight Simulator 98. So when Microsoft announced FS2000 would include stunning new 3-D scenery, those who routinely fly the airs over those tropical waters could not wait to see the new Caribbean. Imagine the disappointment when the default FS2000 Caribbean was no better than even the default FS98 scenery. But tropical scenery guru Chris Wilkes has come to the rescue for at least the Virgin Islands. His shareware Virgin Islands 2000 is a must if you want to head to the U.S. and British Virgin Islands in FS2000.
One of those nice little protected bays lies on
the southeast shore of St. John in the
U.S. Virgin Islands. The shallow lagoon is fed by
a lazy river which flows out of the mountains. Well, that is what the maps
and charts show, as well as Wilkes' rendition. The default FS2000 scenery, seen
in the left photo above shows a bay and a flat St. John. Normally, in a
review such as this, we would look at several sets of comparison photos contrasting the
old scenery with the new. But all of the FS2000 default scenery looks
pretty much like that pictured above for St. John. Just flat and
unappealing. Our time is much better spent looking at the true to life overhaul
Wilkes has provided.
Let's head over to Tortola in British Virgin Islands.
First, we will take a look at Beef Island International Airport, which serves visitors headed
to Tortola. The two islands are connected by the short
Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. The screenshot also shows some of the
smaller adjoining islands and the shallow coral laden waters of East End
Bay. The right screenshot would appear to be just a general scenery shot, but
if you look closely this shot shows just how far Wilkes has gone for
accuracy. We are looking at Josias Bay and then the small Josias Bay Pond.
Now the average pilot would likely never need this landmark or even
notice it. But Josias Bay Pond is right where the charts and maps show
it should be. So is the small stream which feeds it with mountain runoff, towering
Mount Belle-vue and the road along the side of the mountain. It
is all there, correctly rendered and right where it should be.
Let's jump back to the USVI and take a closer look
at St. Thomas, which hosts one of the two major airports in the Virgin Islands.
Cyril E. King International Airport sports a modern terminal,
a 7,000-foot runway and an ILS approach to Runway 9. Even in socked
in conditions, the approach was right on and a breeze. The middle photo shows
a dusk approach to Runway 9. Should we decide on a touch-and-go, our flight
path would take us over Lindbergh Bay, a favorite stop for many of the
cruise ships which visit the island. In the left shot, those ships are lit
up for a festive night in port.
Our next stop is St. Croix, the other major island in the USVI and home
to Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport.
Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport sports a
7,612-foot runway. Once again, Runway 9 is equipped with an
ILS approach. You may have noticed that most of the runways in
the Virgin Islands lie roughly east-west. But with the prevailing southeast trades bring
cool east winds over the islands most of the year, there
is really no other choice. Another well lighted runway and terminal
at Rohlsen make even those VFR night approaches a breeze. The refinery
in Krause Lagoon, on final approach to Runway 27, is tough to miss coming in
from the east.
The last two major islands in the British Virgin Islands are Virgin Gorda and Anegada. Each is also home to a public airport. The Virgin Gorda Airport has a 3,100-foot sand and gravel runway. While that might keep some away, the runway was roughly as smooth as those mentioned previously. Virgin Gorda, or "Fat Virgin" refers to a protruding mountain noted by Christopher Columbus in his voyage writings. Mount Virgin Gorda stands 1,348-feet above the aquamarine waters surrounding it.
Anegada is the only coral atoll in the Virgin
Islands. Lying just 28-feet above the Atlantic Ocean at its
highest point, the hard to see 15-square-miles of island and adjoining reefs
has been a notorious ship collector over the years. Over 200
vessels have been lost on Horseshoe Reef alone at the eastern tip
of the Island. From the air, the new 2,500-foot concrete runway was no trouble
to find. At the western end of the island is a large lake
earmarked as a major sea bird sanctuary.
If you prefer helicopters or seaplanes, Wilkes
has not forgotten about you. Find an oil tanker and you may just find a
helipad on it. All of which are functional, according to Wilkes.
On some of the islands without airports, and even a few with
airports, you will find dedicated seaplane docks. One even has refueling at the
docks.
Now one question just eating away at many of you is
"what about the framerates?" Despite 6-meter per pixel rendering, making
for the 17.3-megabyte download size, the framerates were acceptable on a
mid-level machine. As seen in the shot above, the framerate on a PII 266
with 96 mb of RAM and a Voodoo III 2000 video card ran from around 12 in
the denser areas to 20-plus at 2,000 feet between islands. That was with
the default level five scenery setting, or just under wide open. Even in
the denser areas, the flying was smooth and enjoyable.
Installation is a breeze and Wilkes provides very good documentation.
Included is detailed installation instructions, information on the
scenery, a brief description of the islands and airport and runway
information.
Virgin Islands 2000 Scenery can be found at the 4CDs.com Download Store. Chris Wilkes rendition will set
you back around $20.
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