Hello all. I was just curious to see what airports folks are using when testing out that newest payware, or downloaded aircraft. For a long time now I have used Roswell International Air Center "KROW" as my goto test field, the runways are large enough for a fully loaded PMDG 747 and the scenery doesn't kill the frame rates. My usual routine is to load up at KROW and fly down to Carlsbad or El Paso depending on the aircraft, then fly back for an ILS approach then do a few touch and go's. Recently, I've been thinking of picking up shop and moving to a new airport. Lake Moses in Washington State looks interesting, however, I was just curious to see what airfields others are using for testing. Well, gotta run, I see there is a new MD-11 on the ramp ready for a test circut down to El Paso and back. Thanks all.

Good question!In British Columbia, Canada, I like Pitt Meadows CYPK since that's a familiar strip. I also like Abbostford CYXX, because it's large enough for many commercial airliners, and it's near Vancouver, Seattle, and Calgary. My "baseline" (or "Petraeus") test for frame rates is a strip in Wilkie, Saskatchewan CKW7: barely any autogen and as flat as FSX can get. I don't care that it's just a dirt strip, like Edwads AFB, Wilkie is surrounded by a lot of flat space. If I need a truly large runway, like for the Lockheed SR-71, then I will try to stage out of a military base, like Edwards AFB KEDW, Beale AFB KBAB, Kadena AFB RODN, or even Westover/Springfield KCEF. If the aircraft is carrier capable, then I will use a carrier Mission, and stage off of the carrier. Generally, I will use those runways for reviews, but then I also make an effort to go someplace I have seen in the real world but not in FSX. Jeff ShylukSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

Thanks for the tips Jeff, I'll have to go and check out those Canadian airports you mentioned.

I use my hometown airport, KATW. The main rwy there is long enough for most medium-large aircraft to take off. :(

Boundary Bay (CZBB) just south of Vancouver. Great scenery and lots of interesting airports nearby to fly to. Plus, I like alliteration.

For GA's, it would be Sitka (PASI). For airliners, I would normally take off from either EGKK or LSZH.

KDLH, where I live and work. Longest runway 10152, with a crosswind ry and plenty of approaches. Many satellite airports around as well, and lakes/rivers for floatplanes.

I tend to use EGCD (Woodford, UK). It's actually only about three miles away from me in real life and fairly close to EGCC Manchester International. EGCD is where BAe do a lot of testing. The Nimrod AWACs had a lot of their development work done there, and it is also where BAe train crews for the J41 Jetstream (i.e the turboprop PMDG 'mystery aircraft'). If you've ever seen the WW2 DeHavilland Mosquito war movie, 633 Squadron (and a few other similar films), the shots of Mosquitoes belly landing were done on the grass at Woodford, by taxying real Mosquitos across the airfield at high speed and retracting the gear (this was when they were quite widely available and of course is enough to make people cringe these days, since there are now no airworthy Mosquitoes in existence).Al

Wow, that's painful hearing about those Mosquitos :( John B

For most new aircraft, it's KSEA.It's a little taxing on framerates at times, but for testing, it's great: I know what the worst case scenario is for framerates once I've flown a new aircraft around Seattle. :( In addition, it's kinda close to where I live in BC; I've been to Seattle numerous times, and I've flown commercially in RL into and out of KSEA on my way to conferences and such.For some new aircraft, mostly helicopters and GA, it's CZBB. I've flown out of CZBB in RL (sadly, I wasn't the pilot), and like KSEA, CZBB is very close to where I live--so close, in fact, that a nice test flight is to fly over my home and back to CZBB.

i normally run CYYZ (pearson international in toronto canada) although for smaller planes i will go to buttonvillewhen im flying a flight over multiple legs to my destination i always take off at the location of my last leg and start the next leg off where i landed.I also like area 51 and nasa's shuttle facility in florida

i normally run CYYZ (pearson international in toronto canada) although for smaller planes i will go to buttonvillewhen im flying a flight over multiple legs to my destination i always take off at the location of my last leg and start the next leg off where i landed.I also like area 51 and nasa's shuttle facility in florida

I use KMWH- Grant County just like Boeing :) or KRME to KSYR.All have long runways (all are former Air Force Bases) and are in generally quiet areas as far as scenery goes so very easy on framerates.

I use KTTD, just downstream from KPDX and both are close to where I live. For heavy frame-rate testing I use KMIA, which seems to be brutal for my system.

To test handling of new GA aircraft, I use KMTP (Montauk, LI). Not totally sure why - I picked it up in FS2k2 and have stuck with it. Remote, small, takes just a few seconds to taxi from GA parking to runway 6. Plenty of water around, so easy on frames. And an easy hop over to KHTO (East Hampton) for brief cross-country flights.For frame rate testing, I've adopted KSEA after giving up on the New York area - would love to fly there (I grew up there and lived there for decades) but the Hudson corridor kills frames - even on my new system I can't do anything with it.Alan

Boundary Bay (CZBB) just south of Vancouver. Great scenery and lots of interesting airports nearby to fly to. Plus, I like alliteration.

LOL...mark another one down for Boundary Bay