Is it still possible to submit freeware?

Is this something you created?  If not, do you have permission from the author?

Yes it is completely original, and only uses assets from stock fsx root folder.

There is however a freeware mh65 dolphin from flyawaysimulation that I used for a static scenery object, but I can remove it. I made sure to only use stock landclass, and stock library objects. It is a complete overhaul of the Bay Area of Houston, including Johnson Space Center Houston. 

 

I took plenty of photos. It is honestly wild how well it turned out, I worked on it for more than a year. Started off with just KEFD ellington, but then it bothered me that southeast Houston was farms and fields with sparce patches of houses. So I used the same strategy as ORBX Orlando, where a large amount of that project was creative and crafty landclass work. 

 

The custom scenery is all stock FSX objects in ADE. I just used creative techniques to create cool VFR locations. Most importantly was at night time, it was very difficult to find Ellington and hobby in a sea of black darkness, now you can navigate at night as the light landscape is accurate as well! 

 

Let me post some photos, again no custom or payware landclasses were used, all stock fsx so that frame rates would not be affected. 

 

This used to be almost all fields and farms 

Shot of Johnson Space Center Houston and NASA Rd 1

Another shot of Space Center Houston-NASA Rd 1 

 

Further out shot of Bay Area, you have no idea how much easier it is to shoot an approach with references. 

I made accurate parking ramps for the NASA T38s and 147th FW (circa 2006-2010)

Pasadena water treatment and base of runway 22

 

VFR for beltway 8 and RWY 17 L and R

RWY 17 L and R along beltway 8 and shopping center

 

Another shot of treatment facility and base of runway 17

NASA Buoyancy Lab

I did the baybrook mall area and southbelt-ellington area all the way to friendswood and league city. Here you can see it makes finding KHOU easier as well. 

Again having VFR scenery is huge in lining up runway 35 along I45 approach. You can now recognize KEFD approaches visually from 10-40 miles out. 40 miles is the limit for populating the green patch of grass for airports. But having the VFR scenery surrounding it is awesome, even for FSX. 

- Also runway 35 approach needed a lot trees and grass fields, not buildings and houses.... 

I used blending techniques to represent the wealthy houses! Good shot of "seabrook"

Custom work I did for the San Jacinto community college

 

Which is across the street from the Pasadena convention center, which is a big VFR for Rwy 22 final approach, and RWY 17 base turn. RWY 22 approach uses La porte municipal airport to light up with RWY 22.

Which is apart of redbluff road, a very common rwy 17 approach on calling base turn. 

Red Bluff road more zoomed in

Red Bluff road and Bay Area BLVD. You can probably start to see how important these are in lining up these approaches. These landclass updates are very accurate as I tested rigorously.

 

At the end of the day, I wanted to create a time capsule of KEFD circa 2006-2010, with accurate landclass, and recognizable scenery that you can use to navigate approaches. 

 

Bonus:

I also did a landclass refresh for north houston, spring-cypress atascocita-tomball area. Once again, KIAH and KDWH was in a sea of blackness at night, and surrounded by farms and fields. With UTX vectors, roads, railrods, etc. These landclasses really standout, and genuinely make the Houston outer loop look complete.

 

I did however stop around Manvel and Sealy, there was no reason to go over board, but this is a massive km^2 coverage for a freeware. A giant chunk of Houston that was missing in FSX. 

 

Thank you, 

Charlie, 

DJN

I really worked hard to blend and make things flow together from a color palette and boundary standpoint as best as I could. I also made sure it blended well with UTX.