I got to thinking today about how much good scenery, both freeware and payware, is already out there for major international airports in MSFS. I figured it would be years (and hundreds or even thousands of dollars) before I'd be able to fill out MSFS the way my FSX/P3D were filled out with at-least-passable-quality airports around the world. But actually, I made a list of the "must-have" major airports that don't have any at-least solid scenery available, and it's only 24 airports long. Kind of incredible how much is already "good enough"!

(Of course, what's actually still missing is good long-haul aircraft to fly between these, but I'm sure that'll come...)

Africa
FAOR - Johannesburg
HAAB - Addis Ababa

Asia
RPLL - Manila
RTCP - Taipei
VABB - Mumbai
VHHH - Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok
VVTS - Tan Son Nhat Ho Chi Minh 
WIII - Jakarta
WMKK - Kuala Lumpur
ZBAA - Beijing Capital
ZSPD - Shanghai Pudong

Europe
ESSA - Stockholm
LIRF - Rome Fiumicino

North America
CYYZ - Toronto
KBOS - Boston
KDCA - DC National
KPHX - Phoenix
KSAN - San Diego
MMMX - Mexico City
PANC - Anchorage

Oceania
YMML - Melbourne

South America
SBGR - Sao Paulo Guarulhos
SCEL - Santiago
SKBO - Bogota

Am I missing any? Or do any of these have good-enough scenery available that I haven't seen?

James

I flew to some airport in the list. They do exists by default and certainly not missing.

There also KSAN for MSFS already https://secure.simmarket.com/latinvfr-san-diego-intl-ksan-msfs.phtml

There is also a good freeware KDCA

I'm missing and enhanced KTPA. 😀

26 minutes ago, sd_flyer said:

I flew to some airport in the list. They do exists by default and certainly not missing.

There also KSAN for MSFS already https://secure.simmarket.com/latinvfr-san-diego-intl-ksan-msfs.phtml

Sorry, should have been clearer: these airports aren't missing, in the sense that they're present in the sim. But they're default, which -- while usable -- is never going to hold a candle to something crafted by hand.

Hadn't seen that there was a KSAN already. Thanks!

There's very few decent enhanced airports for Africa. Most of them have a serviceable MSFS one by default in that it has a usable runway and nav aids, but given that many of these airports retain quite a lot of older architecture as well as sometimes also having modern terminals too, they'd be a rich source for airport modelers who'd like to make something with a bit more character instead of always going for something with an ICAO prefix which begins with a K or an E.

Edited March 6, 20215 yr by Chock

1 hour ago, honanhal said:

LIRF - Rome Fiumicino

Italy - LIRF: aeroporto Leonardo da Vinci, Fiumicino, RM • Microsoft Flight Simulator

1 hour ago, honanhal said:

ESSA - Stockholm

ESSA Stockholm Arlanda • Microsoft Flight Simulator

1 hour ago, honanhal said:

PANC - Anchorage

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Anchorage AK USA - PANC V1.2 • Microsoft Flight Simulator

 

Not for me to say if these meet your needs, but they are all freeware and worth a look.

2 hours ago, honanhal said:

I got to thinking today about how much good scenery, both freeware and payware, is already out there for major international airports in MSFS. I figured it would be years (and hundreds or even thousands of dollars) before I'd be able to fill out MSFS the way my FSX/P3D were filled out with at-least-passable-quality airports around the world. But actually, I made a list of the "must-have" major airports that don't have any at-least solid scenery available, and it's only 24 airports long. Kind of incredible how much is already "good enough"!

(Of course, what's actually still missing is good long-haul aircraft to fly between these, but I'm sure that'll come...)

Africa
FAOR - Johannesburg
HAAB - Addis Ababa

Asia
RPLL - Manila
RTCP - Taipei
VABB - Mumbai
VHHH - Hong Kong Chek Lap Kok
VVTS - Tan Son Nhat Ho Chi Minh 
WIII - Jakarta
WMKK - Kuala Lumpur
ZBAA - Beijing Capital
ZSPD - Shanghai Pudong

Europe
ESSA - Stockholm
LIRF - Rome Fiumicino

North America
CYYZ - Toronto
KBOS - Boston
KDCA - DC National
KPHX - Phoenix
KSAN - San Diego
MMMX - Mexico City
PANC - Anchorage

Oceania
YMML - Melbourne

South America
SBGR - Sao Paulo Guarulhos
SCEL - Santiago
SKBO - Bogota

Am I missing any? Or do any of these have good-enough scenery available that I haven't seen?

James

You missed MPTO (Tocumen International Airport)  in Panama City, and home of COPA Airlines, which happens to be the most important airport in all of Central America, and Asobo completely failed to include it in the sim - not even a garbage version was included - it's missing completely.

34 minutes ago, DMullert said:

You missed MPTO (Tocumen International Airport)  in Panama City, and home of COPA Airlines, which happens to be the most important airport in all of Central America, and Asobo completely failed to include it in the sim - not even a garbage version was included - it's missing completely.

There is a serviceable freeware version of the airport on flightsim.to

https://flightsim.to/file/5409/tocumen-international-airport-mpto

 

18 hours ago, Chock said:

There's very few decent enhanced airports for Africa. Most of them have a serviceable MSFS one by default in that it has a usable runway and nav aids, but given that many of these airports retain quite a lot of older architecture as well as sometimes also having modern terminals too, they'd be a rich source for airport modelers who'd like to make something with a bit more character instead of always going for something with an ICAO prefix which begins with a K or an E.

I see that FSXScenery on simmarket is making airports for MSFS now and has covered a number of African airports. The quality has gotten to be kind of ok in the past few years, and the price (roughly $11 each) is such that it’s not totally unreasonable. At some point I may break down and spring for a few, but for now it’s hard to justify that money (even for something unique) when the same amount can get you something super high quality from a top-tier developer...

James

I’m surprised FAOR Johannesburg has not been done yet. Nothing on payware or freeware, except a night lighting mod for the aprons. It’s only the largest and busiest airport on the entire African continent, yet is a bland basic shell in the sim.

1 minute ago, RaptyrOne said:

I’m surprised FAOR Johannesburg has not been done yet. Nothing on payware or freeware, except a night lighting mod for the aprons. It’s only the largest and busiest airport on the entire African continent, yet is a bland basic shell in the sim.

No airside access permitted to the high quality developers. In the past, that's caused a couple of attempts to recreate FAOR to be abandoned.

FSDG has a few airports in Africa for MSFS, namely: Agadir, Nairobi, Walvis Bay and Windhoek.

13 minutes ago, honanhal said:

I see that FSXScenery on simmarket is making airports for MSFS now and has covered a number of African airports.

To me these look like port overs from FSX and fall short of MSFS graphical standards and my personal expectations.

There are however decent South Africa  payware sceneries for FALA (Lanseria), FALE (Durban),  FAPE (Port Elizabeth) and good freeware for FAGG (George) and FAEL) East London. The Asobo FACT (Cape Town) is very impressive. 
 

25 minutes ago, F737NG said:

No airside access permitted to the high quality developers. In the past, that's caused a couple of attempts to recreate FAOR to be abandoned.

FSDG has a few airports in Africa for MSFS, namely: Agadir, Nairobi, Walvis Bay and Windhoek

ASDG has previously shown (Facebook I think), a very good, extremely detailed model of FAOR in development. So they have some decent modelling, just can’t seem to finish what they start. I used to have airside access to FAOR and what they had done was spot on. So they cannot use that as an excuse. FAOR’s airside access restrictions are no different to any other international airport.

Edited March 7, 20215 yr by RaptyrOne

YYZ and BOS is coming for MSFS from FlyTampa