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Scenery Update : PAKT - Ketchikan International Alaska v1.2 by NorthernSkyStudio


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Scenery Update : PAKT - Ketchikan International Alaska v1.2 by NorthernSkyStudio

 

NorthernSkyStudio released their excellent scenery of PAKT in Ketchikan, Alaska in August 2018. In our review I totally loved the scenery as NorthernSkyStudio is a very good and quality scenery developer...  we covered the initial release with a review here;  Scenery Preview : PAKT - Ketchikan International Alaska by NorthernSkyStudio.

 

Ketchikan is known as "Alaska's first city" due to its strategic position at the southern tip of the Inside Passage, connecting the Gulf of Alaska to Puget Sound. A vibrant harbour and significant position to thrive on fishing industries, canneries in particular, tourism, government, and forestry.

 

PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 1.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 2.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 3.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 4.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 5.jpg

 

In the release review I had really nothing at all negative to say at all about the PAKT - Ketchikan International airport. As a scenery it is exceptionally well done. Notable is the two-tier layout with the main runway of which is located about 30 feet (9.1 m) higher than the apron further on up the hillside, and the runway is connected between the two areas by two (steep) sloping taxiways in Taxiway A - RWY 29 and Taxiway B - Rwy 11 for departures.

 

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The single terminal building was also exceptional in detail and authenticity, as the design is very unique with the huge boxy control tower place above the terminal below. The local native aspects are well done in the terminal's construction and external detail. The main airport sign has also been updated.

 

PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 11.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 12.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 10.jpg

 

The only airport comment I did make was that the single AirBridge here is only static...  really well done, but you would certainly want to connect to an active walkway if you flew into the airport, the AirBridge is sadly still static in this v1.2 update?

 

PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 13.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 14.jpg

 

We are covering two updates here in this update review in v1.1 and v1.2...  and here is the changelog;

 

Version 1.1 
-terminal name fixed
-more boats added
-more city buildings added
-USA flag added
-cruise ships added
Version 1.2 (April 26th 2021)
- Taquan sea planes base added
- new static models added
- few models fixed
- windsocks direction fixed
- "ground traffic" plugin removed
- x-plane native boats added
- pier added
 
95% of my negative comments originally of this were not about the PAKT-Ketchikan International airport scenery as noted. But the viewpoint of the Ketchikan city itself, and most of the these updates are thankfully focused over here. The view from the airport of the Ketchikan city was not great, and not totally realistic either. NorthernSkyStudio has take the approach of using a very highly detailed Ortho-Photo base and then put the 3d objects on the top of the Ortho-photo to make it look realistic. But the big problems with Ortho-photos is that although highly detail, they are always also very flat, so you lose a dimension that can affect the realism factor. They also make the areas look flat, when in reality they are not..   i.e the wharfs situated on the waters edge.
 
In v1.2 (and v1.1) there has been some considerable work done over here to fill in a lot of the negative blank spaces...  Ketchikan actually now looks like a more realistic location.
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 15.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 16.jpg
 
Some areas however are still nasty and flat, and worse by being brightly coloured or being directly sited on the water...
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 17.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 18.jpg
 
...  and the unique Newtown colourful neighbourhood and cruise terminal is still also missing, and another note was that the ferry was animated and went across the river from the airport to the city terminals, but currently it is now static? But overall this is a significant step forward in detail.
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_Head 19.jpg
 
Besides a lot of new actual 3d buildings in the city. The biggest visual changes are both the Taquan Air Sea Plane base...
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_City 1.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_City 2.jpg
 
....  there is a nice wooden boarding wharf, with neatly modeled Beaver aircraft moored alongside. The other major visual change is the addition of five cruise ships and two ferries (large and small). NorthernSky is not going to win any design awards for the cruise liners,in being boxy and Lo-Res, but they are welcome and hide what should be a significant cruise port facility. Oddly I still don't get putting in (if default X-Plane objects) yachts, set under full sail in scenery marinas, this is very rarely seen? masts only please for realism.
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_City 3.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_City 5.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_City 4.jpg
 
But to note the Ketchikan city vista does now work, but it deserves still more attention.
 
One thing I noticed (it rains a lot here), was the PBR effects that are really excellent here, with amazing highly realistic standing water reflection detail...
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_PBR 1.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_PBR 2.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_PBR 3.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_PBR 4.jpg
 
...  drop the lighting down and it comes alive with perfect reflections...  top notch!
 
PAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_PBR 5.jpgPAKT - Ketchiken v1.2_PBR 6.jpg
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Summary
It is always nice to go back and see a worthwhile update, of what was already certainly a great scenery by NorthernSky Studios. This is PAKT in Ketchikan, Alaska and the scenery was originally released in August 2018.
 
The original scenery was nearly perfect, but it did have and still does have this single static AirBridge that is still not an active feature. Most of the comments however were of the Ketchikan city area, that was created via flat Ortho-Photo bases with 3d objects placed above, great on detail but not what you could say is realistic.
 
In these two concurrent updates v1.1 and v1.2, a lot of work has been done in the city area with loads of new 3d buildings, to (thankfully) cover more of the flat Ortho images, there is a new Taquan Air Sea Plane base and new cruise liners and ferries, flags and more yachts, a new pier and the windsocks corrected, and that covers the updates.
Overall and it is becoming quite realistic, the Ketchikan City still needs a bit more attention to make it still a bit more of an authentic feel of this of all Alaskan Cities...  but don't get us wrong, this two-tier airport with great detail and brilliant active effects is a great addition to anyone's collection...  certainly the airport deserves a high recommendation and now comes at an even lower value price.

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Yes!...  PAKT - Ketchikan International Alaska v1.2 by NorthernSkyStudio is Available from the X-Plane.Org Store here :

 

PAKT - Ketchikan International Alaska

Price is US$18.00

If you have already purchased PAKT-Ketchikan International Alaska by NorthernSkyStudio. Then go to your X-Plane.OrgStore Account and download the updated version.

 

Requirements :

X-Plane 11

Windows, Mac or Linux
4 GB VRAM Minimum - 8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 1.1 GB
Current version : 1.2 (April 26th 2021)

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Scenery Update by Stephen Dutton

7th May 2021

Copyright©2021 : X-Plane Reviews

 

(Disclaimer. All images and text in this preview 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) All Rights Reserved

 

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