Wild_South

Beautiful! You are so lucky to have so many of the MSE packages. Truly changes the sim.

Thanks mate. Glad to see you had a good flight! Impressive screenshots too. You'll have to have a go at the Mt Cook to Franz Josef route next HighBypass, my pleasure. I'm glad you're here having a read! That is good that you have at least something other than default. I certainly recommend the South Island scenery from Orbx if you ever get the chance to buy it. Throughly enjoyable Great shot of Banks Peninsula!

Thanks mate. I appreciate the support! Be sure to post a couple of screenshots here if you manage to fly around NZ! Smooth landings

Good post! For me it's the Carenado Cessna 185. Hands down. Although it's not actually my favoruite to fly in P3D, in reality I would definitely own it. Being from New Zealand I love getting into the mountains and landing on short strips, riverbeds, beaches etc. It: Has the capability to cruise at decent speed, as well as bloody slow! Has an excellent payload especially with an added cargo pod underneath for my fishing roads, rifles, outdoor gear etc. Has unrivalled short-field capability and with some large tundra tires can be landed almost anywhere. It sounds amazing. :wub:

Stunning shots! Are you using PTA? The lighting has a very "Alaskan" feel to it. Great stuff

MOUNT COOK (NZMC) - FRANZ JOSEF (NZFJ) Next up we find ourselves again on the fringes of one of the most spectacular places in New Zealand - Mount Cook National Park - home to our nation's highest Peak: Aoraki. It is a rugged land of ice and rock, with 19 peaks over 3,000 metres (9,842 feet) - so this is no place to be complacent! It provides a great place to fly with incredible views and vistas, as well as the challenge of mountain flying. Fire up your girl on the apron at Mount Cook Airport (NZMC) and ensure she warms up quickly - remember this can be a cold environment and not the place to be taking shortcuts. Upon your taxi out you will be greeted with a large runway. This used to accomodate Air New Zealand's subsidiary Mt Cook Airlines and their Fokkers and ATR's. These days the airport is a base for Mt Cook Ski Planes, who operate Cessna 185's and Pilatus Porters, to transport tourists, hunters, mountaineers and trampers into the depths of the National Park. Chances are you will get airborne into the prevailing wind (Westerly) and begin your climb up the Tasman Valley. This is the one on the right with the large glacier (NZ's longest) and lake at the foot. On your left you will see Mount Cook Village - this consists of a few hotels, bars, restaurants, visitor centre etc. Circle over it if you wish, and get out that camera! Aoraki/Mount Cook should be quite obvious to you. If you are taking the correct route (up the Tasman Valley) Mount Cook should be on your left. If not, turn back and correct your track. Be careful as you get deeper into the mountains as the weather is very changeable and dangerous at times: rotor zones, mountain waves, Fohn winds, and severe turbulence are a common occurrence in these parts. Keep your wits about you and you will be fine. Keep on climbing now, just enough so you can traverse the Main Divide (the spine of the Souther Alps that separates the East and West Coasts of the South Island). You will now have stunning vista and will almost be able to see either coast. Notice the abrupt change in landscape as you head west. You have just come from the dry, barren Mackenzie Country, and now you are heading for the wet west coast: lush bush, wild beaches, and ALOT of rain at times. But hopefully today is a good day weather-wise! At the head of Franz Josef Glacier (now on the Western side of the Main Divide) should be a large, flat-ish, snowfield. This is a common landing place for helicopters and ski planes alike. So, keep you eyes peeled! Descend via Franz Josef Glacier and again make sure you take the time to snap a few good shots! This is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. You will soon spot the airfield with its one runway (note it is quite narrow so be careful of illusions!). Make a standard join overhead and set her down. Now is the time to head down to an honest west coast pub for some lamb shanks and a pint of Speights! Welcome to the wild West Coast. pic upload

Hi all, I am a New Zealander who is a real world pilot as well as an avid flight simmer, like all of you on here. With a combination of my passion for my homeland, as well as flying, I would like this thread to be a go-to place for people who are interested in immersing themselves in some of the best scenery the world has to offer - New Zealand. This is mainly directed at those who are lucky enough to own addon scenery for this part of the world (namely FTX ORBX NZ South Island and/or North Island), or something similar. That way you will get the most enjoyment and realism out of flying in these parts - it really is a beautiful country well depicted by these talented people who create these addons. So essentially I am hoping to advise those, who don't know New Zealand very well, about various routes and sorties to fly. From small hops, to longer cross-countries. The reason I have posted in this forum is that I would love people to post their screenshots of New Zealand in here, so people can get an idea of what it is like. I hope you enjoy our piece of paradise down here in the South Pacific! PS: Here is the link to Orbx's marvellous South Island Scenery if anybody is interested (https://www.fullterrain.com/product/nzsi) TE ANAU (NZMO) - MILFORD SOUND (NZMF) On the fringes of Fiordland National park lies one of New Zealand's best little airport - Te Anau/Manapouri. This wee gem has excellent facilites, a long enough runway to cater for most aircraft, and thousands of square kilometres of unspoilt NZ scenery within literally minutes of flying. But, you ought to pick a good day for it, as this route to Milford Sound, via the Milford Tramping Track, lies in some daunting terrain. Fire the girl up, and head off into a crisp morning up the eastern side of Lake Te Anau. Initially out to your left you will notice the Kepler Track (one of NZ's "Great Walks") on the south-western side of the like, opposite Te Anau township. Progressing northward, you will fly over Te Anau downs. Take a good look to your west from here and you will notice some stunning Fiords with clinging native bush running all the way down to the lake edge. Next up, at the top of the lake, is the point where many people flock over the summer months to walk the Milford Track. Beware of wind here as the converging valleys can cause down-draughts and severe turbulence. Make a dog-leg left here, and head up the valley towards McKinnon Pass. Just to the south is New Zealand's largest waterfall, the Sutherland Falls. Circle around it and get a few good shots before you carry on. On the north-western side of the pass is Quintin Lodge, a luxury wilderness lodge with an airstrip (well depicted in Orbx scenery!). Feel free to pop in for a cuppa, but ensure your aircraft has the capability to get both in and out safely. Once airborne again, dog-leg to the right and fly northwards towards Milford Sound (NZMF). Descend and listen out carefully on the radio as this place will literally be buzzing (both with aircraft and sandflies at this time of year!). Hope you enjoyed it!

Mac could you please share your lighting settings? (HDR, bloom, brightness, saturation etc) Thanks

@Pe11, can you please screenshot your HDR, shadow, lighting settings etc within P3D? Or can anybody else share what they use? Thanks

Hi all, I am curious as to what texture sets you guys use (primarily thinking of clouds)? I am just wanting to know if there is a popular one that people seem to use. Regards Scott

I was reluctant to jump from 7 to 10, but thought I would give it a shot. Wouldn't look back!

Hi Lucas, Good news and bad news: Good) NZCH is known to be extremely heavy on performance for an unknown reason. So it is not an issue with you sim/setup. Even on the highest power rigs it still drops to 10-20 FPS. Bad) Orbx have decided that they are not going to bother updating it so we just have to live with it. Christchurch is my hometown but even I refuse to fly there in P3D because of the above issues.