Scenery Review: KMTP - Montauk Airport, USA

[Dominic Smith]

 

 

Scenery Review: KMTP - Montauk Airport, USA

 

By Dominic Smith

 

Introduction
Montauk Airport (KMTP), located at the eastern tip of Long Island, New York, has been a haven for pilots who enjoy VFR (Visual Flight Rules) flying since its establishment in the mid-20th century. With a single asphalt runway and a modest terminal building, this small public airport offers a peaceful flying experience amid scenic beaches and natural reserves.

The X-Plane 12 version aims to capture the spirit and layout of the real-world KMTP. Retailing at a rather accessible price of $12.95, the scenery features actual layout data to provide a realistic flying experience. Custom materials and surfaces enhanced with Physical-Based Rendering (PBR) add to the visual richness, although within the constraints of its budget-friendly price point. The package also makes good use of X-Plane 12's new vegetation technology, offering hand-placed forests and custom 3D grass to complement the overall scenery.

As a fan of serene airports conducive to low and slow VFR flying, Montauk Airport piqued my curiosity. One of the real airport's charms is its laid-back vibe, which provides an ideal setting for focusing on the essentials of piloting. Will the X-Plane 12 rendition capture that same sense of tranquillity? Let's find out as we explore the merits and performance of this budget-friendly scenery package.

 

 

Installation
Acquiring this scenery is straightforward, particularly if you're familiar with the Org store. Upon purchase, you're presented with two downloadable zip files, one for X-Plane 12 and another for X-Plane 11. The size of the extracted scenery is modest, clocking in at just under 300MB. This small footprint makes for a quick download (as long as you have a reasonable internet connection) and is relatively light on storage space.

The installation process adheres to the tried-and-tested method that many X-Plane users will find reassuringly familiar. There's no need for online activation or entry of a serial number, something that I personally find very appealing. Once you've extracted the zip file, simply move the resulting folder into your X-Plane Custom Scenery directory, and you're good to go.

Documentation
While the package does come with a text document that clearly outlines the installation steps, it feels somewhat sparse in other regards; there are no additional resources to be found. This absence feels like a missed opportunity to enhance the user's connection to the airport. Even a simple historical overview or a basic airfield diagram could have enriched the package and given flyers more context for their Montauk adventures. As it stands, users will have to rely on the software itself and perhaps a bit of online sleuthing to fully appreciate what Montauk Airport has to offer.

Exploration 
Starting my exploration as usual from a distance, the first thing that struck me was the expansive coverage of the area by the developer. Seen from the air, the landscape is notably more detailed compared to a "vanilla" installation of X-Plane 12. The three main water bodies, Lake Montauk, Big Reed Pond, and Oyster Pond, are all sharply defined, catching the eye even before you make landfall.

 

 

Diving lower (no passengers onboard), I was impressed by the meticulous redesign of the forests. The trees seemed carefully placed, offering a more authentic representation of the area's natural beauty. The shoreline also caught my attention; it is well-articulated, featuring an array of caravans, deck chairs, and tables. The only thing missing was a human touch, as there were no virtual people to be seen.

 

 

Further inland, additional residential houses had been added, making the landscape feel more vibrant and interesting. The docks, populated with a large number of different boats, contributed to the area's liveliness. While the scenery did incorporate a small degree of ortho imagery, which kind of worked, I feel the scenery could have easily stood on its own merits without it. I also noticed some maintenance buildings around the docks, which appeared to be from the default X-Plane library, going by some of the signage.

 

 

Among the unique elements of this package is a well-crafted breakwater, composed of numerous rocks and stones. While there's some artistic license involved, it adds a pleasing aesthetic touch to the overall experience.

 

 

As I approached the main airport, it became apparent that the layout closely mirrored its real-world counterpart on Google Maps. The textures for the runway and apron were clearly marked and finely detailed. Close inspection revealed weathering effects like cracks and general wear, adding to the sense of realism.

 

 

The airport hosts a few hangars and a modest main building and whilst they're well-designed, a bit of weathering could have made them feel slightly more authentic, especially given the location's proximity to the sea. That said, considering the scenery's budget-friendly price, this can be overlooked. Completing the picture, a small car park containing a handful of vehicles, faithfully echoed what I'd seen on Google Earth. Overall, the experience was positive overall, marred only by the absence of 3D characters to give the airport a more lived-in feel.

 

 

Night Lighting
Upon exploring the airport under the cloak of night, it quickly became apparent that I was going to need a torch! While the runway did offer some degree of illumination, the airport buildings were noticeably lacking in this department. While the absence of lighting could be consistent with the real-world airport, it does take away from the experience a little. With the potential for future updates, one might hope that the developer could consider adding a few strategically placed lights, particularly around the main airport building and hangars. Such a minor addition could go a long way in enriching the scenery's night-time appeal. As night shots won’t be particularly interesting or beneficial, let’s go for some good old snow. 

 

 

Performance
Navigating around Montauk Airport and its surroundings was a completely smooth experience, which reaffirms why I enjoy smaller sceneries like this one. Framerates stayed high on my system, which isn't the newest or most advanced (specs listed below). For those with limited GPU resources, turning off 3D vegetation will offer a bit of additional performance, due to the number of trees present.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion
Montauk Airport for X-Plane 12 may not aim for photorealistic accuracy, but it doesn't need to. What it delivers is a captivating and well-detailed version of a tranquil airport, a feature bound to resonate with many X-Plane aficionados. While there are areas for improvement, such as the missing 3D characters and somewhat limited nighttime lighting, the package does excel where it matters most. Covering an expansive area beyond the airport's immediate surroundings, this scenery is a commendable addition to any virtual pilot's repertoire, especially those who favour the peace and quiet of smaller airstrips for leisurely VFR flying.

 

Priced at a very reasonable $12.95, the package offers excellent value for money, despite a few minor shortcomings. Overall, it's an inviting scenery that assures countless hours of flying enjoyment.

 

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KMTP - Montauk Airport, USA by Skytitude is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:

 

KMTP - Montauk Airport, USA

Priced at $12.95

 

Features:

• Completely Renovated Scenery for X-Plane 12 with Outstanding Detail Level
• Actual Layout Data
• Custom Materials and Surfaces with Physically Based Rendering Effect (PBR)
• Highly Detailed Spectacular Buildings and Objects
• High Density Hand-Placed Forests and Plants
• Custom 3D Grass Using New X-Plane 12 Vegetation Technology
• Accurately Built Large Surrounding Area with Thousands of Hand-Placed Objects

Requirements

X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac, or Linux
Download Size: 263 MB
Current version: 1.0

 

Review System Specifications

Intel i5 10400 – 32GB RAM - Nvidia Asus RTX 3060 – Windows 10 Home 64 Bit

 

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Scenery Review by Dominic Smith
21st Sept 2023
Copyright©2023: X-Plane Reviews

 

(Disclaimer. All images and text in this review are the work and property of X-PlaneReviews, no sharing or copying of the content is allowed without consent from the author as per copyright conditions).

 

 

[RobdeVries]

Love these little airports! Thanks for the great review and references!