What do you look for in a good GA airport?

[Guest Safetydance]

The subject pretty much says it all. What qualities and features do you like to see in a good payware GA airport? Any help and examples would be great. Thanks folks!!You can dance, you can dance...

[Rimshot 1,135]

Just check out the freeware fields by Orbx:http://www.fullterrain.com/freeware.htmlThat's all I look for in a good GA airport :)

[Guest Safetydance]

Really I was looking for specific features that are imortant to users. Using your example, what is it that you like about the freeware fields by Orbx?Detailed texturesDetailed ground texturesVolumetric shadowsHelp me out....

[ryanbatc 12,835]

Mainly atmosphere...such as GA hangars with custom textures, and accurate parking spots based on the real airport, I like to see static airplanes too...

[Guest Safetydance]

Bingo!!That's the sort of stuff I'm looking for. Please keep it coming folks!!

[Yoda967 23]

Bert's right, Orbx has the right idea, and they're offering payware quality freeware GA airports that work with their astounding FTX scenery.Another good payware field is Bill Womack's Plum Island, available through FSAddon. Aerosoft's AspenX is another good one.I look for "verisimilitude", a sense of "being there." If I find a picture of the airfield on the Internet, or see a movie about it (like "16R" about KVNY), I want to recognize the place. The FBO in the scenery should look like the real FBO. Hangars should look like the hangars at the real thing, or at least be unique, and not be rehashed default objects. Building placement should match airport diagrams and photographs.Details are a big deal. Most airports have ideosynchracies, like the fence across the runway at Plum Island, and those little quirks add to the scenery's "personality". The airport where I soloed is gone now, but it had an asphalt runway, a row of trees across the approach end of runway 19, and several interesting-looking businesses on the field, including a burger joint, an FBO called Sunset Aviation, and a banner-towing operation. Goodies like parking spot marshals are pretty standard for larger airports, and the paved parking spots near the larger FBOs where the biz jets park should have them, too. Sounds, birds, weeds alongside the pavement, parked aircraft that clearly aren't every going anywhere...and clever surprises.Small airports aren't necessarily the only thing I'd like to see. There's a lot of interest in biz jets, and those guys mostly fly into the busier GA airports.Some busy GA airports I'd like to see for FSX:Van Nuys (KVNY)Santa Monica (KSMO)Santa Barbara (KSBA)Monterey (KMRY)Montgomery Field (KMYF)Gillespie Field (KSEE)Falcon Field (KFFZ)Chandler Muni (KCHD)Scottsdale (KSDL)Paine Field (KPAE)Dekalb-Peachtree (KPDK)Wichita Mid-Continent (KICT) (home of Cessna and Lear)Vero Beach (KVRO) (home of Piper)Teterboro (KTEB)

[Geofa 108]

To add to all the above-I like seeing wildlife.Two weeks ago at Ionia, Mi. two deer crossed the runway before I took off.My home airport of Kptk has constant bird activity as it is surrounded by lakes-I added quite a few flocks to the default with Instant Scenery.I witnessed a bird strike with a close call for the airplane landing in front of me in Bar Harbor, Maine this summer and flying bird bodies that almost hit my plane and lay on the runway like a battlefield carnage which I had to dodge on takeoff.The last few weeks-even Detroit Metro has been notamed for "coyotes on the runways".I was at an aviation seminar last week and the number is quite large of yearly collisions with wildlife(GA only-commercial also have their numbers)-I think it was 500 or so.Bill Womacks Dillingham scenery has quite a few nice bird flocks nearby.Bring the living world on!GeofaMy blog:http://geofageofa.spaces.live.com/

[Guest Safetydance]

I ask because I've been working on a GA project for a few months now and now I'm trying to find out what the public looks for. The project is coming along nicely and everyday I find a new way to surprise myself by just how well it's coming along. I think that once it's released everyone will be pleasantly surprised.

[1mikel151 71]

>I ask because I've been working on a GA project for a few>months now and now I'm trying to find out what the public>looks for. The project is coming along nicely and everyday I>find a new way to surprise myself by just how well it's coming>along. I think that once it's released everyone will be>pleasantly surprised.Is it custom objects or are you using the existing object libraries? Unique objects are preferred here. I agree the living world is pretty important to me, nothing worse than a static environment. Details, like realistic textures, no stretched textures, high texture detail, etc are important as well.One thing I feel is important is a destination area as well, like another airport nearby, gives more of a purpose to the scenery.Most important, EASY ON THE FRAMES!Regards, MichaelKDFW

Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe nForce4 SLI-x16 / AMD

[Manny 1,293]

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[Manny 1,293]

Custom high quality runway textures (and taxiways too) that is specific to that airport alone.. Without this... I do not consider it an add on airport (particularly the blokes who sell paywares). Slapping textures on simple hangars is an easy task. no big deal!here is a good example.Plum Island by Bill Womackeven in that shot..the hangars are not visible..and yet you know its very detailed. cause..when you come in to land (the best part of flying)..your eyes are fixated on that runway and when its an unique and specific runway to that specific airport..its a joy..On the other hand, Seeing default runways on a payware addon makes me puke every time!

[Guest jshyluk]

3 words:Location, location, location!I don't mind so much the detail level of an airport as its location and surroundings. Once you get past the runway, I want to have something more to see.One of my favourite airports is Savage Island in Vermont. In FSX, it's got just a strip, but it's a strip on an island, so you can do water landings as well. The surrounding scenery is hilly and interesting, and there are larger airports nearby as well. Another is Jasper Ridge near Springfield in Oregon. It's just a private strip, but it has one of the best take-off views I have ever seen in FSX, if you take off north over the ridge.I like to see a significant amount of local detail around the airport. People mention Bill Womack a lot: he's a true wizard of putting in local details that don't kill frame rates. Local sounds are a good addition as well: seagulls near water, a dog barking, whatever. People will use roving camera views to look at everything, and sounds can help add to the immersion factor when people go exploring. There's also things I don't like to see: terrain mesh errors, poor textures, seasonal or climatological gaffes (try not to put a thermal on the inner marker!), misplaced buildings, models that obviously do not belong, bad night lighting, and above all crappy animation. I'd rather have no animations at all than ones that aren't any good. I also like to know the history and cultural significance of the airport. I don't like so much having to research it for myself, although I will for the sake of reviews, or for my own curiosity. Well, actually, that's an oversimplification. I feel better doing my own research if I have some clue from the developer that they did their research as well. Lastly, I like to see approach and departure plates for the airport, if possible. Many GA airports don't need them, but some really need them a lot, especially if there are mountains nearby. If not plates, then at least a map. I hope this helps!Jeff ShylukAssistant Managing EditorSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

[michal 44]

For me the priority list goes like this:1, Excellent, customized runway textures.2. Terrain/grass surrounding the runways, this includes taxiways, parking aprons, etc.3. Trees around airport shown with realistic decent density. I rather have more trees than a few highly detailed trees. Highly detailed trees in my opinion actually look silly - they stand out and look way too sharp contrasting with overall scenery resolution.4. Great night lighting - runways in particular5. Parked planes, static.6. BuildingsMichael J.http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/9320/apollo17vf7.jpg

[Rimshot 1,135]

>Really I was looking for specific features that are imortant>to users. Using your example, what is it that you like about>the freeware fields by Orbx?>>Detailed textures>Detailed ground textures>Volumetric shadows>Help me out....>>Pretty much what everybody likes about them :) The sense of detail, getting the feeling you're really there, the care and precision with which they recreated almost every inch of the field and its surroundings as detailed as possible. Important factor is the addition of important landmarks around the field and in Orbx's case, the seemless blending inside their own FTX scenery.What these fields don't have is something I do like to see in an addon airport and it has already been mentioned in this thread; specific runway textures.

[Guest Safetydance]

So let me get this straight. You'd rather have custom runway textures, grass, and static planes than to have custom buildings that make the airport look like it's real life counterpart? I get the same feeling from Manny? Does everyone feel this way?