"Hi Air" ATR across South Korea...

[P_7878 6,774]

It's well-known that the Airlines are tough business to survive. Fierce competition, high and volatile cost of (and critical dependency on) fossil fuel, and other capital-intensive investments in aircraft, maintenance, and infrastructure etc. make it one of the most challenging sectors of the economy. This is especially true if the airline is a new entrant into the market. On top of all these, the COVID Pandemic years put significant stress on the airline industry, by reduction of domestic and international travel demand. Seasoned and established airlines coped with the Covid challenges by converting e.g., their business model from pax-based to cargo-based operations (freight and cargo operators actually benefited from a rise in demand for air cargo during the Pandemic). 

I was reading a bit today. Have you heard of the term "Preighters"? I had not...and not in the Dictionary...🙂...Well...It is the term actually used by the Chief Lufthansa Executive to describe aircraft that are converted from passenger purposes to freighter purposes. It was a phenomenon (and a strategy for survival) that had uniquely arisen due to the (prolonged) global pandemic.

Airlines are now slowly returning to profitability, but numerous airlines (unfortunately) failed to survive the pandemic. Here is one example. Hi Air of South Korea was a regional airline that started operations in 2019, purchased 2 ATR 72s in 2020 to (ambitiously) expand further its network, in spite of the imminent (but not fully visualized) global slump in air travel. 2020 was indeed an unfortunate choice. So, last year, in 2023, just 3 years after inception, the airline folded and was forced to cease all operations. Though the airline survived and operated for such a short period, a repainter has chosen to keep it alive in our virtual world by recreating its attractive livery and logo (see below) that caught my attention today. 

The airline's first route was between the city of Ulsan (RKPU) in the southeast corner of the country to the Capital of Seoul (RKSI) in the northwest corner of the country, which is the route I've replicated for this post. 

The country is fairly mountainous, though the highest summit is just over 6,000 ft. Here, I've overflown the T'aebaek Mountains, stretched along the east coast, with the Sea of Japan seen on my starboard side...on my way to Seoul's Incheon International airport. The (default) MSFS rendition offered me a fairly good idea about the country's topography (I'm thankful for it), but it clearly lacked details in terms of airport and cityscape features. Nonetheless, this trip, was an opportunity, for the first time ever, in the SIM, to explore and glimpse the geographical features of this country and these places, far-far-away from mine...

Please find below 20 pictures from my flight today.

Hope you enjoy. Thanks for viewing...!

[John F 2,458]

Interesting flight. I was disappointed in the detailing and rather low-res satellite imagery on a recent flight I made (my only Korean flight so far) from Busan northward (at a higher altitude) in an Asiana E-175. But you seem to have gotten satisfactory results here. Is that livery part of a Marketplace livery pack purchase?

[pmplayer 9,658]

Nice set !

Fancy color, by the way..

cheers 😉

[andiflyit 473]

Nice set, in memoriam Hi Air! Inspires me to look at the scenery there, I've been more in Japan in that area of the world.

[andiflyit 473]

On 3/19/2024 at 7:16 PM, John F said:

Is that livery part of a Marketplace livery pack purchase?

Yes, had it in my "ATR 72/42 Complete Liveries Bundle" by 2Pilot today which was updated, they added some new paints.

[P_7878 6,774]

On 3/19/2024 at 1:16 PM, John F said:

Interesting flight. I was disappointed in the detailing and rather low-res satellite imagery on a recent flight I made (my only Korean flight so far) from Busan northward (at a higher altitude) in an Asiana E-175. But you seem to have gotten satisfactory results here. Is that livery part of a Marketplace livery pack purchase?

Thanks, John, and apologize for the late response...Looks like you've been globe-trotting a lot more in MSFS than me...🙂...I would not have gone there except for this striking livery. This is all default South Korea scenery...frankly just about OK. Yes, I do recall seeing some (payware) Korea sceneries in my Xbox Marketplace, but I think they were for "Far East Birds"...🙂...While I like birds, I would have considered some actual topographical scenery of Korea...there is of course a nice (payware) Seoul airport scenery also in the Marketplace. Anyway, we really need here an Update like the (nice) Japan Update with a few (key) airport upgrades. 

And, yes, as Andreas had answered, this Hi Air repaint belongs to a Marketplace livery pack that I'd got a while ago when I had got the ATR, the pack been possibly updated, as Andrea says. 

 

On 3/20/2024 at 1:12 AM, pmplayer said:

Nice set !

Fancy color, by the way..

cheers 😉

Appreciated the comemnt, pmplayer. Yes, "fancy" is the word to describe it...🙂...

 

On 3/20/2024 at 3:40 AM, andiflyit said:

Nice set, in memoriam Hi Air! Inspires me to look at the scenery there, I've been more in Japan in that area of the world.

Thanks, Andreas. Japan got a very nice facelift, and we need one like that for Korea too.... this default scenery is passable, but still something we never had in our earlier SIMs for these parts of the world...Cheers...!

 

Edited March 22 by P_7878

[andiflyit 473]

Yes P_7878, it's rather good and useable usually but it always becomes great with the updates. They have a lot of work left to do...

And the sim is growing and growing...

[Alaska738 8,526]

Beautiful shots! 😉 

[P_7878 6,774]

Will, Andreas:

Thank you for the additional comments...Cheers...!