[Freeware] Ramona, CA (KRNM) released

[vbazillio]

Few days ago, I called for help because I couldn't find the text on some blue taxiway signs. Meanwhile, here's an improvement of the default Ramona (KRNM) up north San Diego and beaches of California. It's 10 min flying with a C172 from downtown. With a single runway, the airport is mostly used for general aviation, the California Department of Foresty and United States Forest Service (USFS) jointly operate a fire attack base. The scenery is available for free at https://flightsim.to/file/25710/ramona-krnm

As all of my MSFS mod, this small scenery is made from pilot-eyes perspective. I flew there several time for pattern training and stops at Plus One Club house, and I'm an amateur scenery developer. This mod is made with 99% of MSFS default objects library.

Features

• All airport buildings have been replaced: hangars, FBO's, Air Attack Base, Classic Rotors museum, all external fence and gates, fuel island, executive hangar, airport beacon...
• All new and very specific taxiway signs... except the blue ones on Air Attack Base. Let me know if you know what's written on them! I need your help.
• Adjustement of all taxiway lines
• FBO's Chuck Hall Aviation, CruiseAir Aviation and Pacific Exec Aviation rebuild
• Replacement of 90% autogen buildings by MSFS Library. Very few are the AI autogenerated buildings by AI Shark / MSFS engine.
• Hundreds of details to create life: objects from library but also handmade signs and banner on buildings. This scenery may impact your fps.
• Replacement of Tower
• Reveal of all helipads (including the north helipad not open to pub 😉
• Reveal of Segmented Circle/Windsock south side close to CruiseAir
• Reveal of Compass Rose
• Redesign of Fire Attack Base apron with trace of fire retardand. This scenery can't wait for a Grumman S2 Tracker!
• Replacement of windsock
• Replacement of PAPI (2 lights, P2L)

History of the airport and backgroud

In 1943 the U.S. Navy built a small, dusty airstrip at what is now the Ramona Airport. In 1956, the facility was conveyed to San Diego County and the airport has now grown to become the aviation center for community service to San Diego's inland and mountain communities. The Ramona Airport is the third busiest facility in the County’s system.

The Ramona Air Attack Base is located in the CAL FIRE San Diego Unit and was established in 1957 by the then California Division of Forestry, making it the oldest Air Attack Base in the Department’s system. In 1960, the US Forest Service set up and operated from Ramona, separate from CDF, until 1966 when the agencies integrated and Ramona became a jointly operated base. Ramona responds to an average of 450 calls per year. On average, the base pumps 850,000 gallons of retardant a year. Ramona has a possible peak output of 250,000 gallons of retardant each day. The base’s direct protection area encompasses over 1.4 million acres for CAL FIRE, 300,000 for the US Forest Service, and covers all of San Diego County.

Uncomplicated airspace, available services, ideal climate and proximity to North County business and recreation centers make Ramona Airport an ideal destination for work or pleasure. Serving every type of aircraft from home-built experimental to corporate jets, the Ramona Airport is home to a fully staffed air traffic control tower, three full-service Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) (Pacific Exec Aviation, Chuck Hall Aviation and CruiseAir Aviation) an avionics center, an aircraft service center, nine aviation businesses, a full-time airport manager and the world's only helicopter museum with operational helicopters (Classic Rotors).

En joy the free scenery at https://flightsim.to/file/25710/ramona-krnm

 

[flyblueskies]

Downloading now...looks really good!

 

Thanks for sharing!

[pannellg]

Outstanding!

[David Roch]

Beautiful scenery indeed, thank you very much, Vincent!
Probably one of the best freeware for the US, with an amazing amount of details and great textures.
👍

[vbazillio]

Thank you for all your messages! I really appreciate my little scenery has been welcomed by the community.

I really need to emphasis that 90% of this scenery is made this way :

1. Create an exclusion area to remove inappropriate default AI generated buildings.
2. Redesign apron overlayed to match the Bing imagery (apron, taxi markings)
3. Find - in the MSFS library - buildings and objects that match as much as possible the real buildings and objects based on personal photos, aerial view (Bing) and satellite images (Bing/Google Maps).
4. Add (hundreds of) objects (box, trees, fences, doors, cone, tank, cars...) to make the scenery a little more live and customized. Aerial pictures help this process. For example, just add a car where there's one on the pic 😉
5. Finally, add signs and banners here and there but also specific handmade taxiway signs (it's a sim btw). Bitmaps are taken from Google streetview or public Internet logo and pictures.

Ramona took around 3 full days to get created.

This is a real amateur and passionate work inspired by real professional (some Orbx, Jet Streams, FlightBeam...) and a lot of tutorials free on Internet. Also, free tools were used like ADE, Gimp and Blender. Not to mention the obvious MSFS Scenery Editor.

Again, a big thank you to all.

PS : I'm still looking for the text on the blue taxiway signs (air side) at the entrance of Air Attack Base apron: 

 

[vbazillio]

Thank to flightsim.to member BullFrogSim, a new customized control tower is part of the last update of Ramona (KRNM) v1.1.1 and some minor updates. A big thank you to the Community.

https://flightsim.to/file/25710/ramona-krnm

[filou]

Look very good.Thank you for sharing. Very good work!

[Car147]

Simply stunning, many thanks for a fantastic airport for the benefit of all. Geat work.

[scotchegg]

The Pixies fan in me wants me to download this. Handy because it actually looks fantastic. Good work, sir.

[vbazillio]

New version 1.2 with the mystery of the blue taxiway signs revealed. And the transient apron which has changed. Thank to a local pilot for the pics and info !

[MDFlier]

Wow. This looks beautiful. I love the 99% default objects part.

Just one question. Does the airport really have a giant windsock (as shown in pics 7 & 9) in the middle of the parking lot? You put so much effort into this airport that I'm thinking it must be there in real life if you bothered to include it. 

[vbazillio]

Thank you

36 minutes ago, MDFlier said:

Does the airport really have a giant windsock (as shown in pics 7 & 9) in the middle of the parking lot? You put so much effort into this airport that I'm thinking it must be there in real life if you bothered to include it. 

You're right and it's a coincidence, I was looking at these two's this morning (Paris time). There are two windsocks grab to the hangar. Obviously smaller than the one close the the runway. But the windsock object in MSFS library, the one that move with the simulated wind direction and force, seems not compliant with resize/scale. It stays at scale 1. Solution #1 is to keep as this. Solution #2 : replace it with a static object. So far, choose 1 but ready to change my mind !

[remilton]

Thanks, looks really good.  Now running my digital feet over to Flightsim.to!

[kama2004]

Very nice airport. And right in the pilot edge coverage area. It makes a very good base for local flights.

[Peterwk]

I just enjoyed a flight from Las Vegas to this great airport. Congratulations.