Jump to content

Scenery Review : Casablanca XP by Aerosoft/FSDG


Recommended Posts

Cassablanca - GMMN_Header.jpg

 

Scenery Review : Casablanca XP by Aerosoft/FSDG

 

You feel like going somewhere and doing something exotic! But you are also wanting to fly a route for not very long, in fact you don't want to break your two hour flying rule either? You have also flown most European connections and even ventured as far north as Iceland, but you are wanting now something a bit different, even a challenge...  so what about North Africa (South Africa is too far). With all these parameters then what about Casablanca, as it is a very exotic and quite a popular destination and only a two to three hour flight from most southern European ports...  in reality it is a done deal.

 

I have been to GMMN - Casablanca - Mohammed V International Airport a few times before, and then used a quite average freeware version, But  have always loved GMMN if for it's north western coastal African position, not too far from Europe but more importantly it is also an airbridge to South America as a refueling stop. So when developer FSDG or FlightSim Development Group released CMN - Casablanca I just wanted to go back there and finally to a decent full quality X-Plane Casablanca scenery.

 

Casablanca is situated on the very top the northwest coast of Africa, and is a mere two hours from anywhere in Southern Europe. I flew from LEBL - Barcelona which is exactly 2h flying time (okay 2h - 1m give or take a minute), Frankfurt is 3h - 21m which is a bit outside the two hour rule but still doable.

 

Cassablanca Map.jpgGMMN Map.jpg

 

The distance from Casablanca (Port) to the Mohammed V International Airport is about 25km directly south, or about 30min driving time.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Header 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Header 2.jpg

 

I will note in these views I am using the SFD (ShortFinal) local autogen to give the area a local flavour...

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Head 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 4.jpg

 

Mohammed V International Airport

مطار محمد الخامس الدولي

ⴰⵣⴰⴳⵯⵣ ⴰⴳⵔⵖⵍⴰⵏ ⵎⵓⵃⵎⵎⴷ ⵡⵙ5
Aéroport international Mohammed V

IATA: CMN - ICAO: GMMN

GMMN Chart.jpg

17L/35R - 3,720m (12,205ft) Asphalt

17R/35L - 3,720m (12,205ft) Asphalt

Elevation AMSL 656 ft / 200 m

 

Both runways 17L/35R and 17R/35L are exceptionally long at both over 12,000ft in length, they are in a parallel western layout together with all the airport infrastructure situated all to the eastern side of the field.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Head 5.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 6.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 7.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 8.jpg

 

The main apron is one huge continuous apron set into zones of parking in B-C main inner Terminals, E outer remote, J Middle outer Remote, D Cargo inner remote.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Head 11.jpg

 

There is a separate area to the east far south that you could note as General Aviation with parking G (inner) and F (outer) and far south is another remote...  remote stand parking.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Head 9.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Head 10.jpg

 

Terminals

Both terminals one and two are fused together via an S shaped design, Terminal One is north and more modern and Terminal Two is south.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Termnial head.jpg

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Termnial 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Termnial 2.jpg

Cassablanca - GMMN_Termnial 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Termnial 4.jpg

 

Terminal One: There are four main airbridge stations, but in an odd arrangement of three gates per bay. The use here is for either a narrow body or a wide body aircraft, but it does make it complicated into finding your right parking line and airbridge. In most cases two narrow-bodies will fit into each bay.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 5.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 6.jpg

 

SAM - Scenery Animation Manager plugin is available with both Marshaller (Terminal One) and VDGS guidance (Terminal Two)...

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_SAM 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_SAM 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_SAM 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_SAM 4.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_SAM 5.jpg

 

....  but SAM does have it's quirks at CMN? Again selection of the right gate (airbridge) to the type of aircraft is important. The MD88 is a low to the ground aircraft, so on one gate with the airbridge connected the airbridge was then set at a steep angle to the low door?  Another (image above) on the far right line (or third) didn't connect to the airbridge? but the position would have been perfect to connect to the low MD88 door position?  The correct position was actually the first line into each bay for the MD88... your choice to the aircraft?   SAM airbridges are again very good with Attijariwafa Bank branding. Clutter is good, but not too much in overwhelming way, so a pass here...  but only a few are custom branded and most clutter visible comes from the Laminar collection.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 19.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 18.jpg

 

Terminal modeling is okay...  ish. Overall it is not bad as a design, but you are missing any real or realistic detail, glass is reflective but still looks bland.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 7.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 8.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 9.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 10.jpg

 

Biggest issue is that the photo ground ortho-photo textures as they are all very low-res and flat. So this makes all the modeling looked like it is all placed on to the top of the flat surface, of which of course it is?

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 11.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 12.jpg

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 13.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 14.jpg

 

Carparks are the same, a flat washed out photo base with objects placed on top, that there is a lot of objects on the surface to at least fill out the scenery, trees are horrible...  cardboard and flat looking they don't relate well to the light at all, again at least there is a lot of well placed fauna to cover over each others flaws.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 15.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 16.jpg

 

 And yet in an overview the scenery does actually work, the trick is just don't look for the close intimate detail and at the different areas too closely.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Terminal 17.jpg

 

Control Tower

The control tower is mid-field and set back behind trees...  again close up the glass is boring and flat, so the tower comes out the same way... but it is detailed well.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Tower 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Tower 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Tower 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Tower 4.jpg

 

Tower view (T) is however set perfectly with great views of all approaches.

 

Cargo

The cargo hub is huge and well represented at Mohammed V...  Royal Air Maroc Cargo, operating as RAM Cargo has a huge base here. Swift-air Cargo, DHL and UPS are also represented.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 4.jpg

Cassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 5.jpg

 

Airport operators including EADS and Regional Air Maroc are both shown with custom buildings and with hangars to the south....

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 6.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Cargo 7.jpg

 

....  to the north is is the large Royal Air Maroc's base and it comes with twin maintenance facilities.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_RAM 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_RAM 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_RAM 3.jpg

 

One twin maintenance hangar is set on the main apron north, but behind is another large apron with another large maintenance area, there are some nicely placed static aircraft including a RAM Boeing 747 that is done very well. Note the army surplus holding yards for vehicles.

 

Area Infrastructure

To a point the feature that saves this scenery is the large placed infrastructure landside behind the airport. The infrastructure comes with tenant buildings, warehouses, factories and general buildings to make up a pretty good visual aspect of the airport. Note the nice fuel depot.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Infrastructure 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Infrastructure 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Infrastructure 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Infrastructure 4.jpg

 

...  a lot of the buildings are very basic and repeated, but a lot are also custom made to fit into the area, and on the whole it works very well.

 

Far south General Aviation area is good, but a few static aircraft may have lifted the area a little...

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_South 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_South 2.jpg

 

Surfaces

Runaway and taxiway surfaces are good, not brilliant, but good, the detail is there and I like the tyre markings.... all markings and signage is excellent (although there was a taxiway in the scenery not on the Navigraph chart?) however the surfaces and markings are all a bit too new with no wear or tear, but overall it is not too bad. All surfaces are PBR (Physically Based Rendered) and have nice reflection details, wet and damp conditions are very good (does it actually rain in Morocco?), but there is no 3d field grass or flowers in creating a very flat airfield.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Surfaces 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Surfaces 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Surfaces 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Surfaces 4.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Surfaces 5.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Surfaces 6.jpg

 

Lighting

I was genuinely surprised by the lighting at GMMN, as it is very good. Mainly it is because there are two hues in bright apron lighting airside and a copper lighting landside, but it is visually very effective.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 1.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 2.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 14.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 15.jpg

 

Approach (RAIL) and taxiway navigation lighting and signage is excellent, so you won't get lost here. All apron areas are well lit, but it is the landside...

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 3.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 4.jpg

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 10.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 11.jpg

 

....  that stands out, mainly because I think the lighting hides the poor Lo-Res photo textures, but it does all look very realistic and pleasing to the eyes.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 5.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 6.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 7.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 8.jpg

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 9.jpg

 

Also helpfully is fact that the street lighting is done well into the landside areas and goes out a fair way from the terminals. Again very effective from the air when departing or arriving at GMN.

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 16.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 17.jpg

 

Terminal glass is better at night as well, as there are lit images on the glass, not even close to good, but still better than the daytime blandness, the landside images though look like a car showroom?

 

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 12.jpgCassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 13.jpg

Cassablanca - GMMN_Lighting 18.jpg

 

Summary

GMMN - Casablanca - Mohammed V International Airport is the main port into Morocco and a great destination that is available within the two to three hours flying time from central or southern Europe. FlightSim Development Group (FSDG) have released a good payware airport with Aerosoft for X-Plane to cover this very exotic destination.

 

Overall the airport is very good, with a lot of features and great detail going landside, but the word that keeps coming up here is "Workmanlike", good but so close to being excellent.

 

The scenery is let down by the usual Aerosoft practise to use very Low-Resolution textures for the scenery's base, very zig-zag blocky, washed out and no detail, the lo-res textures create a flat (boring) surface that shows up the placed above object elements, it could have been so much better with more detail, poor cardboard looking trees also don't help in the visual impact. Glass is flat (meaning bland) but better with images at night that don't help either, but still this Casablanca scenery does not give up without a fight to be good, because the (If complicated gate arrangements) SAM - Scenery Animation Manager plugin tool is excellent, and well done here.

 

Overall I actually do like this GMMN - Casablanca, and yes I will use it and probably on a regular basis, because in the areas I want it does actually create a worthwhile Mohammed V International Airport. It works like a lot of Aerosoft sceneries do, you want them to be better and they can easily be in that aspect, but you use them anyway because they work for you well in another aspect...  workmanlike, but still so close to being a very high-quality scenery.

_____________________________________

 

X-Plane Store logo sm.jpg

 

Yes! Casablanca XP by Aerosoft/FSDG is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :


FSDG - Casablanca XP

 

Price is US$25.95

 

Features:
  •     Accurate rendition of Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, Morocco (GMMN)
  •     Includes new ground layout
  •     Superb quality and performance
  •     Animated jetways and marshallers (with SAM plugin)
  •     Animated ground traffic
  •     Routes and positions for AI traffic and static aircraft included
  •     Manual included

 

WT3:  WorldTraffic GroundRoutes are not provided and a generation is required, and overall the airport generation functions perfectly.

 

Requirements:

X-Plane 11
Windows or Mac (not compatible with Linux)
4Gb VRAM Minimum - 8Gb+ VRAM Recommended
Current and Review version: 1.0 (April 9th 2020)
Download Size: 1.3 GB
 
Installation
Download scenery file size is with the full installation installed in your custom scenery folder with a (Windows Installer) Mac is zip
 
  • FSDG-Casablanca_XP

 

Total scenery installation is 1.3Gb

 

SAM Plugin - Scenery Animation Manager - Suite 1.0 is required for this scenery

 

Documents

One extensive manual in English with notes (6 pages) but no charts

 

  • Manual_FSDG-Casablanca_XP.pdf

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Scenery Review by Stephen Dutton

29th April 2020

Copyright©2020 : X-Plane Reviews

 

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

 

Logo Header X-PlaneReviews 200px.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...