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I need advices for my first PNW airport

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Greetings everyone, i'd like to purchase my first ORBX airport.

 

It must be on PNW, but there is a lot to choose so i'm a bit lost. The idea is get a home base, a place where i can spend flying practicing patterns and do quick flight when I'm with limited time (happens a lot).

 

I have a modest PC, which handles PNW well, so the performance is important to me. I think I'm looking for a private airport, but i do not discard the regional ones.

If the airport has an Hangar where i can spawn or park the plane inside, it's a plus for the inmersion.

 

The sorrounding is important, but i check that on Google Earth.

 

Thanks for reading!

Cheers :)

N.-

If your PC is modest, I'd recommend steering clear of 74S (Anacortes) and KBVS (Skagit) as these are the two heaviest hitters of any of the Orbx airports I have.  I really enjoy 0S9 (Jefferson), but it is probably the next heaviest in terms of performance.  If I could have only one PNW airport, it'd probably be KORS (Orcas Island).  Orcas does have an open hangar that you can back into and save your flight to allow you to start there.

 

A couple of things you haven't mentioned which may also influence you: first what type of plane(s) will you be basing here?.  KORS runway, for example, is only 2901' so may not work for all of your planes.  .Second, would you prefer to have instrument approach procedures available and if so what kind.  Again with KORS there are only two non-precision RNAV (GPS) approaches.

 

And finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that one airport is a no-brainer - KHQM (Bowerman).  It's free, has reasonably long runway and a wide range of IAP's available for practice.  Get it, even if you get nothing else.

 

Scott

  • Author

If your PC is modest, I'd recommend steering clear of 74S (Anacortes) and KBVS (Skagit) ....

Hi Scott, thanks. I already have KHQM.

 

I mostly fly Cessnas or a B58. Nothing super fast. I'm not really interested on instrument approachs.

 

0S9 looks interesting, i will check it out on reviews. 

 

Do you have any experience on 1WA6? It has hangars, its private, but is close to KSEA.. Also W52 and W16. Thanks!

Cheers :)

N.-

I like the free KHQM, it's out of the big cities so fps is good, and it's free!

 

There are too many great pay airports in the region from Orbx, you can never buy just one.

+1 KORS

meets all your criteria.

What about Squamish....very nice geography in that area.

Mark   CYYZ      

 

I totally agree with the KORS recommendation. And really good news - if you are using the Steam Edition then Steam have all their addons on sale right now for 50% off. Their new Friday Harbor scenery perfectly correlates with KORS and will give you a perfect environment for VFR flying

I don't have W52 or W16.  I do have 1WA6 and it's very nice as well and also features a hangar that you can back a plane into and save for future flights.  1WA6 is definitely small and private and quite scenic.  The runway is quite narrow and I believe the biggest thing I've flown in there is a C337.  Don't recall the length off hand, but it might be challenging for the Baron on a summer day.

 

Scott

I totally agree with the KORS recommendation. And really good news - if you are using the Steam Edition then Steam have all their addons on sale right now for 50% off. Their new Friday Harbor scenery perfectly correlates with KORS and will give you a perfect environment for VFR flying

 

Just keep in mind that the Steam version of Friday Harbor will lack "Object Flow", something which will be added in the non-steam version to come 90 days after the steam version releases.

 

Scott

I like the free KHQM, it's out of the big cities so fps is good, and it's free!

 

There are too many great pay airports in the region from Orbx, you can never buy just one.

Agreed - large enough for a Boeing jet - instrument approaches (precision and non precision) and HQM is free!

 

Based on that I'd buy another airport that you could commute to and from like KORS

 

Check out their maps to see where you might like to fly in and out of: https://www.fullterrain.com/locations

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  • Author

I really like the location and atmosphere of W16 and S43, but im worried about frame rates and stutters... Another option is W56.

Cheers :)

N.-

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