Dominic Smith

Scenery Review: KBNA - Nashville International Airport by GloballArt



By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Welcome to the gateway to the heart of country music, USA. Nashville International Airport serves the Mecca of country music, home to the Grand Ole Opry, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and stars of stage, screen, and radio. A sprawling airport that covers more acreage than Los Angeles International, KBNA is the busiest airport in Tennessee, averaging more arrivals and departures than all other airports in the state combined.

Situated next to one of the most famous cities in the US, Nashville International offers something for aviators of all levels. It can handle everything from Piper Cubs to Boeing 747s, and anything in between. Nashville itself is in a scenic part of Tennessee and offers plenty of sightseeing opportunities. For the rotor-wing crowd, KBNA is also home to the Tennessee Army National Guard’s 1/230th Air Cavalry Squadron. GA pilots using this airport won’t feel as intimidated as they might at similarly sized airports such as LAX or JFK. There’s lots of room for everyone here.



Installation Process
This offering by Globall Art comes as a 2.1GB download with separate versions for X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. Inside the zipped file are three folders: one each for the airport, the mesh, and the roads. Also included are two six-page manuals, one in English and one in Portuguese. No license code or product key is required. Do follow the instructions in the manual, as some files need to be moved to the plug-in folder within the Resources directory in X-Plane.

Documentation
Documentation consists of two separate six-page PDF files. I won’t pretend I can read Portuguese, but thankfully it also comes in English. The PDF gives a complete rundown of what’s in the files, how to install them to ensure the animations work as advertised, and a brief history of the airport. It also describes which features are included, how to get the best performance, and provides links for ortho and terrain mesh for the city of Nashville. A separate link is included for the SAM library so the jetways and marshallers work properly. Lastly, it covers the credits, copyright details, and contact information for the developers. Charts aren’t included with the documentation, but I grabbed one from AirNav for reference.



High Altitude Overview
From altitude, the airport stands out quite starkly from the surrounding terrain. In both real life and the sim, the area is undergoing major construction, with large patches of exposed earth clearly visible. With the provided mesh and ortho tiles installed, the airport blends reasonably well with the surrounding landscape, though like in real-world satellite imagery, there’s still a noticeable contrast between the construction zones and the nearby terrain. In that sense, Globall Art has actually reproduced reality quite faithfully. The extensive work underway is easy to spot both in the satellite photos and in the sim.







Runway and Taxiways
KBNA has four runways, three of which are parallel: 20L/02R, 20C/02C, and 20R/02L. The remaining runway, 13/31, crosses 20R/02L.







There are roads that run beneath Runway 20C/02C and the taxiways for Runway 20L/02R, and these are well rendered with mesh that creates tunnels beneath the surfaces.





The runways and taxiways themselves are textured with ortho photos and look very accurate. Unlike some designers, Globall Art didn’t use transparent textures here, which means your AI-selected aircraft will use the airport. You’re going to have company on the taxiways and ramps.







Ground Textures and Foliage
Ground textures are done with ortho photos, and I usually have issues with those, but this time someone at Globall Art went the extra mile to eliminate 2D objects and awkward shadows, mostly. There are still some present, but most are tucked away in parts of the airport that most GA pilots, and certainly no one flying airliners, will ever see. You’d have to be very low and very slow in a helicopter to catch them.





Both the real airport and this sim version are undergoing a massive construction project. What really caught my attention was that in the construction areas, you’ll find animated vehicles moving around like there’s a serious project underway. The included terrain mesh helps with this by adjusting the ground to match the layout of the site.







The foliage is something else. While it’s 3D and moves with the wind, it doesn’t quite match the autogen foliage surrounding the airport. I tried several seasons, and in the dead of winter there were still green trees on the airport, while the surrounding autogen was showing bare trees. I’ve never been to Tennessee, so I don’t know if that’s how it looks in real life or not. Also, some of the trees in the outlying areas have time-sensitive shadows that contrast with those generated by X-Plane’s lighting.







Signage and Navigation Aids
Signs are everywhere at this airport, especially on the ground. The taxiway and runway signs appear to match the airport diagram and are genuinely helpful, particularly when, like me, you’re not entirely sure where you’re going while taxiing to Runway 31. As for nav aids, the airport has all the modern equipment, including a VOR station that appears when tuned in.





You’ll also find plenty of road signs leading to the terminal. One I was hoping to see, however, was missing. There’s an aircraft viewing area, and on Google Earth there’s a sign that says, “Do not feed the birds, they’re an aviation hazard.” It would have been cool to see that included, but then again, only those of us who fly helicopters would have ever spotted it.





Main Airport Buildings
The 3D modelling of the terminal is particularly well done, with smooth shapes and accurate detail, especially around the roof structure. The textures, with a few based on photo imagery in places, are used to good effect and give the buildings a believable, finished look without standing out or feeling artificial.







One of the concourse buildings includes a visible interior space, complete with seating and shopfronts. While you can’t walk around inside, the interior is designed to be seen from the ramp or while taxiing to the gate, and it adds a welcome sense of depth and activity. From certain angles, it gives the impression of a working terminal without overloading the scene with unnecessary detail.





The terminal includes five concourses and a total of 55 gates. With Traffic Global running, it can get pretty busy, with aircraft constantly coming and going. Jetways and gate markings are all present and correct, and if you enjoy sitting on the ramp watching the action, there’s plenty to keep you entertained.





Adjacent to the terminal is the newly built Hilton hotel, sandwiched between two new parking garages. The garages light up spectacularly, but more on that later. One small feature that caught my attention was the animated fans in an air conditioning building connected to the terminal. Another standout was the view from the control tower, which includes a full interior.



There’s a surprising number of custom buildings here, including the Tennessee Army National Guard ramp with its helicopters and support hangars. Globall Art must have had access to some solid reference material, as it all matches up with what I could see on Google Earth. The buildings are detailed, accurate, and show just how much work went into the layout. My one minor complaint here was the AH-64 Apache helicopters, as they have a five-blade rotor system, and no Apache ever produced has a five-blade rotor system. Thankfully, the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters seem more accurate.





Ground Clutter
This is a busy airport, and the ground clutter shows it. There are pieces of ramp equipment everywhere. There are cones, signs, GPUs, and baggage carts scattered all over the place. A lot of the clutter is moving too, with baggage carts, fuel trucks, and other vehicles darting here and there on their way to complete their jobs. Oddly enough, the only people you’ll find here are the ones driving the various ramp vehicles.





Surrounding Area
As mentioned earlier, I installed both the Nashville ortho and mesh to get the best out of the scenery, even though my system was already taking a hit rendering the airport itself. X-Plane does a decent job on its own, but with the included files from Globall Art, the surrounding area really comes to life and blends more naturally with the airport.





One thing that stood out was a huge pond in an old rock quarry, which Globall Art has rendered particularly well. Their mesh and ortho make it look very realistic.





Night Lighting
With apologies to country music legend Willie Nelson, turn out the lights and the party is not over. It’s just getting started. All the ramp lights, runway lights, taxi lights and more are done just right. Not too over the top, and not too subtle. It’s exactly what you’d expect from a large international airport, and it makes night ops feel polished without being distracting.







Then there’s the building lighting, which really stands out, especially on the Hilton parking garage, with its red and blue lights turning the façade into a light show. The rest of the terminal and nearby buildings are also well lit, and the whole place feels alive after dark.







Performance Impact
This airport is not for those with low-performing computers. The developer recommends a graphics card with at least 8GB of VRAM. Mine has 12GB, and it was still taking a major hit on frame rates. While flying the Cowansim Bell 206B3, I was getting frame rates as low as 14 FPS, and as high as 25 FPS over the airport. Outside the airport, frame rates climbed into the upper 30s and even close to 40.

All that detail comes at a cost in performance. Globall Art recommends that users with lower-end systems set their graphics settings to medium to reduce the load on the GPU and RAM. That said, I still had a smooth flight in and around the airport, even though my frame rates often dropped below 20 FPS.







Conclusion
All in all, I found this to be a very interesting airport. It’s set in a scenic part of the country and has so much detail, I could spend hours just flying over the airport itself. I was really blown away by the animated construction areas, and it was great fun trying to spot places I’d seen on Google Earth Street View. I did wonder about adding a few 3D people around the terminal to bring it more to life, but that’s more of a personal wish than a criticism. Other than that, it’s a great scenery package, and I’d highly recommend it. Just make sure your computer is up to the task so you can get the most out of it.

______________________________________


KBNA - Nashville International Airport by GloballArt is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

KBNA - Nashville International Airport

Priced at US$21.95

Features
Accurate replica of Nashville International Airport, updated for 2025.
Precise modeling based on original references, blueprints, and other studies.
Custom terrain mesh.
Fully customized pavement with ambient occlusion included in the textures.
Ground textures change dynamically with weather conditions: wet, snow, and ice.
Custom jetways compatible with SAM plugins.
Marchellers to lead aircraft to the stop position.
Controlled by SAM Plugins / Stairport Sceneries (Marten).
Static objects, vehicles, and aircraft included in the scenery.
Custom and default vehicle traffic on roads and streets.
Controlled by Ground Traffic Plugin (Marginal) and X-Plane.
HDR lighting with custom night textures.
Custom textures with ambient occlusion.
Default animated ground service (X-Plane).
Standard and custom Approach Lighting Systems (ALS).
Included aircraft taxi routes (“taxi route”).
Taxi routes compatible and configured for World Traffic (WT3) and other plugins.
Ramp Starts defined for airlines.
Satellite Terminal and Control Tower with rendered interior.
355 custom taxi signs with lighting.
Custom taxiway markings.
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11 (both versions included as separate downloads)
Windows. Mac or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 2.1 GB
Current version: 1.1 (June 10th 2025)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11
__________________________________
Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
30th June 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Scenery Review: EPGD/GDN Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport by FlyDesign



By Michael Hayward

Introduction
Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport serves as the main airport for northern Poland and the city of Gdansk. It also serves the Tri-City area, which includes Gdansk, Sopot, and Gdynia. While not as large as major hubs like Warsaw or Krakow, Gdansk has grown in popularity in recent years due to the rise of low-cost carriers and increased tourism. FlyDesign, a French-Polish developer, produces airport sceneries for X-Plane, as well as Microsoft Flight Simulator and P3D. They have been creating highly detailed airport add-ons across Poland since 2017. In this review, we will take a closer look at FlyDesign’s Gdansk scenery. As someone who has visited the city multiple times and flown through this airport, I was excited to see how well the scenery compares to real life.

Gdansk is a popular tourist city in northern Poland, offering destinations throughout Europe. FlyDesign’s scenery extends beyond just the airport and terminal; they recreated nearby towns, added photo-realistic ground textures (ortho), and hand-placed individual buildings, trees, and other scenery objects. It’s a noticeable improvement, especially for pilots flying low or in poor weather. Whether flying from another European city or on a quick domestic inter-Poland flight, Gdansk proves to be an enjoyable and realistic destination.



Installation Process
Installing FlyDesign’s Gdansk is a simple process. After purchasing from the X-Plane.org store, you download a zip file containing versions for both X-Plane 11 and 12. Simply drag and drop the relevant folder into your chosen simulator’s "Custom Scenery" directory, and you are ready to go.

Documentation
The package includes three documents: an end-user license agreement, full-colour charts for the airport (including approach, departure, and ground maps), and a 5-page manual discussing the airport's history along with an installation guide. The charts are especially helpful, providing full insight into the airport’s operations that you can use for navigation both commercially and for VFR flights.



From Above
From the sky, the scenery immediately catches your eye. The ortho-ground textures are well-defined and stretch across the Gdansk/Rebiechowo region surrounding the airport. You can clearly see the towns, roads, and greenery. The addition of hand-placed objects like hotels, the railway viaduct and station, and various buildings gives the area a lot of character. This is especially true if you know the area. I certainly recognized many elements from past trips! To help the airport ortho blend in with the wider surroundings, I used a custom tile for the Gdansk area and simHeaven during my screenshots. It’s not required, but it makes a big difference if you’re flying VFR or just enjoying the views.





General Layout
On the ground, Gdansk features a single main runway with one parallel taxiway that runs the length of the terminal. There is also a smaller parking area to the east, used by light aircraft and helicopters from the local HEMS. The layout is straightforward, but FlyDesign has done a good job of adding markings and signage to make it feel more realistic.







Ground Textures
The concrete textures include subtle weathering, such as oil stains and cracks, which brings the surrounding airport to life. They have also made full use of X-Plane 12’s bump mapping to define the concrete and the grid layout that spans the ground area. Taxiway signs, ground markings, and runway identifiers are all properly placed and easy to see.







Main Terminal
The terminal itself is impressive. It follows a similar modern style to many other Polish airports that were upgraded in the early 2010s for the 2012 UEFA Euro football tournament, which featured host cities across the country. The main terminal building features a waved roof with large glass windows that span its entire length. "Gdansk" is written in large, bold lettering.







There are seven jet bridges across the front of the terminal. Immediately to the east is a secondary building connected to the main one; this was the former terminal that handled the airport's full operations before its major expansion opened in April 2012.



Terminal Interior
The terminal features a full open-plan interior with gate areas receiving extra detail, visible from within your plane's cockpit. These details include departure screens, boarding desks, and duty-free shops on the far wall. White podiums act as supports for the roof throughout the terminal. There are also 3D people and ground staff placed throughout the area, which helps to bring the airport to life.







Additional Buildings
Other structures around the airport include the large radar dome, a number of hangars, various maintenance buildings, and the fuel storage tanks. The fire station is also present and features fire engines positioned outside, adding to the sense of activity.





There’s also a small cargo area, with DHL clearly represented. It’s not a huge operation, but it’s nice to see this aspect of the airport included, especially for those flying regional cargo routes.



Ground Clutter
FlyDesign has done a good job with the airport’s ground clutter. There’s a mix of service vehicles, baggage carts, stairways, cones, and 3D people placed in realistic spots around the terminal and apron. It’s not overdone, but just enough to make the airport feel busy and active. The variety helps keep things looking natural rather than repetitive.





Railway
The elevated railway viaduct, complete with gantries and passing trains, adds further realism to the airport's surroundings. It sits just in front of the terminal and helps ground the scenery in real-world context. One minor drawback is the underlying ortho texture. While one side includes parked 3D modelled cars, the other is just flat, which slightly detracts from an otherwise impressive feature.





Night Lighting
Night lighting on the ground is crisp and clear, with blue edge lights along the taxiways, a mix of green and yellow centrelines, and signs that glow in bright yellow or red depending on whether they link to a runway. The runway itself is easy to spot from the air, and the surrounding area includes hand-placed streetlights, making approaches at night both scenic and clear. Its clear time was spent making the night lighting match the quality of the daytime visuals.





The terminal looks particularly good at sunrise and sunset, with X-Plane 12’s improved lighting adding plenty of colour and atmosphere.





Performance Impact
Because the scenery includes many detailed buildings, 3D objects, and textures, it does use a bit more VRAM than simpler airports. On lower-end PCs, this might cause some small performance drops, especially when flying complex aircraft. On my system, which is fairly high-end, I did not have too many major issues. The scenery ran smoothly even with aircraft like the Zibo 737 and Toliss A321, though I did notice a few dips when taxiing close to the terminal. It’s a fair trade-off for the level of detail, but lowering your graphics sliders a notch can help if things get too heavy.





Conclusion
FlyDesign’s Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport is a great addition to the X-Plane 12 scenery lineup. It has the right mix of realism, good looks, and usability. Whether you are flying short routes around Europe or simply enjoy exploring detailed airports, this one delivers. The terminal interior, the surrounding area, the lighting, and the overall layout all come together to match exactly what you would expect to see at the airport in real life!

If you are looking for a European airport that is not too big, offers numerous destination options, and allows for quick turnarounds, then FlyDesign’s Gdansk is certainly a strong recommendation!

______________________________________



EPGD/GDN Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport by FlyDesign is available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:

EPGD/GDN Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport

Priced at US$19.95

Features:
Support for both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11
EPGD International airport, completely new 4K buildings with all detailed,
Highly detailed Terminal Interior,
3D LED technology runway lightning,
Animated jetways and docking guidance system by SAM,
High resolution ground textures,
Hand-placed vegetation,
All Dynamic lightings,
Fully AI traffic compatible,
Optimized for excellent performance,
EPGD charts by LIDO.
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 44
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
1.5 GB Download Size
Current version : 1.4 (March 5th 2025)
Reviewers System:
Windows 10 Professional
AMD Ryzen 5 5900X Processor
32GB RAM
Palit GeForce RTX™ 3080 GamingPro

______________________________________


Scenery Review by Michael Hayward 
13th June 2025
Copyright©2025: 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) 


KBRO - Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport by Fly2High



By Nick Garlick

Introduction
Hello fellow pilots. After a long absence, I’m very happy to be back in the world of X-Plane. Since I’ve been away, X-Plane 12 has continued to evolve with regular updates and improvements that have only strengthened the sim. While other platforms have made impressive strides, I still believe X-Plane holds its own in a unique and rewarding way.

For this return review, I’ve chosen to look at the latest scenery release from Fly2High, a prolific developer who has quietly built a growing library for the platform. Their newest addition, KBRO (Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport), marks their fifth scenery for X-Plane 11 and 12, following on from KCAK, KASE, KJAN and KSAV. So, how does KBRO shape up?

Why This Scenery?
In my X-Plane world I mainly fly military aircraft, but I occasionally like to mix things up with a bit of general aviation, short-haul cargo, or even the odd helicopter trip. Smaller airports with regional traffic, light GA, and the occasional military visitor are always appealing. KBRO fits that bill nicely. Located in southeast Texas near the Mexican border, Brownsville South Padre Island International is a small airport with plenty of scenic potential.

For example, departing runway 13 and banking northeast takes you up Goose Island Passing Bay, a long stretch of water connecting the inland with the Gulf of Mexico. From there, you can follow the coastline north past Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Laguna Madre, and Redfish Bay, all the way up to Corpus Christi or Galveston. Alternatively, you can turn south over South Bay and head west toward Starbase, the home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX operations. Just make sure it’s not launch day, or you might end up as flack bait. Still, it’s all part of the adventure.

KBRO features two runways: 13/31 is 7,339 feet long (2,255 m), while 18/36 is 6,000 feet (1,829 m). It handles regular shuttle flights to Houston, Dallas, and Monterrey, and sometimes hosts military traffic as well. Carriers include Aerus, American Eagle, and United Express, with aircraft such as the CRJ-700, Embraer E-Jets, ATR-42, Boeing 737, and Cessna Grand Caravan all in regular use. Historically, the airport also saw the likes of the Boeing 727, McDonnell Douglas MD-80, and even the BAC One-Eleven, one of my all-time favourites. It’s the sort of airport that feels equally at home with modern jets and vintage classics.



Installation
The scenery download is around 2.2 GB and is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It requires a recommended 8 GB of VRAM to run smoothly. There’s no auto-installer included, but installation is straightforward. Once purchased, simply download the file to a location of your choice, extract the contents, and place the folder into your ‘Custom Scenery’ directory inside X-Plane. Finally, make sure it’s correctly positioned in your scenery_packs.ini file. Once installed, the scenery occupies around 2.35 GB of disk space.

Documentation
There isn’t much to say here. The package doesn’t include any proper documentation, charts, or background information about the airport. There is a short two-page PDF, but most of it is just a basic welcome message.

View from Above
Before diving into the details, it’s worth taking a high-level look. From above, the scenery does a solid job of capturing the airport’s layout; runways, taxiways, aprons, and key buildings are all well represented. It’s a noticeable improvement over the default version in X-Plane. An ortho tile covers the area immediately surrounding the airport, blending in nicely with my own custom photographic tile. I always appreciate this touch, as it makes arrivals and departures feel that bit more immersive.







Runways and Taxiways
Runway and taxiway details are sharp, with well-defined markings and numbers. As I approached runway 13, I initially thought the numbers were duplicated, but a quick check with satellite imagery confirmed it’s accurate to the real airport. The surfaces show just enough weathering to avoid looking sterile. For the price point, the texture work is impressive and contributes to a convincing airfield environment.





Ground Textures and Vegetation
Ground textures across the infield and aprons carry through the same attention to detail, with oil stains, tyre marks, and weathered areas all helping to sell the realism.





These textures hold up well in all weather and lighting conditions, whether it’s rain, sun, or snow. Unlike some sceneries still using legacy X-Plane 11 trees, this package features proper XP12 3D vegetation throughout. The trees appear carefully placed, and grass elements are used sparingly but effectively.





Signs and Navigation Aids
Signage is well placed and clearly legible. I can’t speak to real-world accuracy, as I haven’t sat at the fence with binoculars, but in sim, the signage feels logical and useful. It gives you all the information you need to navigate the airport without issue.





Main Buildings
The terminal is well modelled, along with the historic 1931 Pan American Airways building. Various hangars and other ancillary buildings are also included, and these appear true to life based on available reference photos. Materials and shapes feel authentic, with some light weathering adding to the overall look.







Interiors
The terminal includes a detailed interior, complete with static 3D people, seating areas, baggage, and signage. While the people models aren’t the most detailed I’ve seen, it’s still nice to see them included, as they help bring a bit of life and atmosphere to the terminal.





Parking and Start Options
There are thirteen parking options across the main apron, plus three hold points near the runways. Of course, you can also start directly on the runway if you prefer. A small but welcome bonus is the control tower interior, which, while not overly detailed, adds a touch of character and could easily have been left empty.





Ground Clutter
Clutter is plentiful, which is always welcome at a smaller regional airport. The aprons are populated with fuel trucks, baggage equipment, and cargo trailers. The car parks include realistically placed vehicles, many of which are recognisable makes. It feels busy but not overdone.





Surroundings
Just beyond the airport, there’s a nicely modelled National Weather Service station, complete with radar domes and masts. Further afield, you’ll also find a representation of Elon Musk’s Starbase facility, a fun local landmark to include.







Night Lighting
I won’t get bogged down in detail here. Night lighting does exactly what it should, it illuminates the airport clearly and effectively. The effects are done reasonably well, consistent with what we’ve come to expect from X-Plane 12 and looks good in all conditions. There was with no noticeable impact on performance when flying at night.





Performance
I’m happy to report that KBRO wasn’t graphically demanding on my system, unlike some other sceneries I’ve tried. I don’t bother quoting frame rates anymore, as every sim setup is different and what works well for me might be completely different for someone else. What I can say is that I tested the scenery in both X-Plane 11 and 12, using default ground textures as well as my own custom ortho tile with X-World America by simHeaven, and it ran smoothly in all kinds of weather and lighting.







Conclusion
Fly2High may not be a premium developer in the X-Plane world, but with KBRO they’ve shown they know how to create interesting and enjoyable airports at a very reasonable price. Their rendition of Brownsville includes hand-placed vegetation, custom textures with realistic wear, static vehicles, and a well modelled terminal interior. Add in the Starbase facility, and smooth performance, and you have a package that delivers far more than the default scenery.

There isn’t much to criticise, though I would have liked to see some basic charts or a short history of the airport in the documentation. Even at this price point, that sort of detail is often included in similar products.

Overall, KBRO is a solid little airport that runs well, looks good, and offers a nice change of pace. If you enjoy discovering new corners of the X-Plane world, it’s a worthwhile addition. After reviewing this one, I’m tempted to explore more of Fly2High’s scenery.

______________________________________



KBRO - Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport by Fly2High is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:

KBRO - Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport

Priced at $13.99

Features
Hand-placed vegetation around entire airport and surrounding areas
Custom ground textures
Carefully modeled terminal interior
Hand-placed cars around entire airport
Custom night lighting
Accurate dirt/grunge textures around airport
3D grass vegetation
Modeled SpaceX areas
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux
8GB + VRAM Recommended
Download Size : 2.2 GB

Review System Specifications
Windows 10, Intel 4790K liquid-cooled, overclock to 5GHz, 32GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Nvidia GTX 1070ti, Titanium HD Audio Card.

__________________________________
Aircraft Review by Nick Garlick
5th June 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

KBRO - Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport by Fly2High



By Nick Garlick

Introduction
Hello fellow pilots. After a long absence, I’m very happy to be back in the world of X-Plane. Since I’ve been away, X-Plane 12 has continued to evolve with regular updates and improvements that have only strengthened the sim. While other platforms have made impressive strides, I still believe X-Plane holds its own in a unique and rewarding way.

For this return review, I’ve chosen to look at the latest scenery release from Fly2High, a prolific developer who has quietly built a growing library for the platform. Their newest addition, KBRO (Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport), marks their fifth scenery for X-Plane 11 and 12, following on from KCAK, KASE, KJAN and KSAV. So, how does KBRO shape up?

Why This Scenery?
In my X-Plane world I mainly fly military aircraft, but I occasionally like to mix things up with a bit of general aviation, short-haul cargo, or even the odd helicopter trip. Smaller airports with regional traffic, light GA, and the occasional military visitor are always appealing. KBRO fits that bill nicely. Located in southeast Texas near the Mexican border, Brownsville South Padre Island International is a small airport with plenty of scenic potential.

For example, departing runway 13 and banking northeast takes you up Goose Island Passing Bay, a long stretch of water connecting the inland with the Gulf of Mexico. From there, you can follow the coastline north past Port Isabel, South Padre Island, Laguna Madre, and Redfish Bay, all the way up to Corpus Christi or Galveston. Alternatively, you can turn south over South Bay and head west toward Starbase, the home of Elon Musk’s SpaceX operations. Just make sure it’s not launch day, or you might end up as flack bait. Still, it’s all part of the adventure.

KBRO features two runways: 13/31 is 7,339 feet long (2,255 m), while 18/36 is 6,000 feet (1,829 m). It handles regular shuttle flights to Houston, Dallas, and Monterrey, and sometimes hosts military traffic as well. Carriers include Aerus, American Eagle, and United Express, with aircraft such as the CRJ-700, Embraer E-Jets, ATR-42, Boeing 737, and Cessna Grand Caravan all in regular use. Historically, the airport also saw the likes of the Boeing 727, McDonnell Douglas MD-80, and even the BAC One-Eleven, one of my all-time favourites. It’s the sort of airport that feels equally at home with modern jets and vintage classics.



Installation
The scenery download is around 2.2 GB and is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It requires a recommended 8 GB of VRAM to run smoothly. There’s no auto-installer included, but installation is straightforward. Once purchased, simply download the file to a location of your choice, extract the contents, and place the folder into your ‘Custom Scenery’ directory inside X-Plane. Finally, make sure it’s correctly positioned in your scenery_packs.ini file. Once installed, the scenery occupies around 2.35 GB of disk space.

Documentation
There isn’t much to say here. The package doesn’t include any proper documentation, charts, or background information about the airport. There is a short two-page PDF, but most of it is just a basic welcome message.

View from Above
Before diving into the details, it’s worth taking a high-level look. From above, the scenery does a solid job of capturing the airport’s layout; runways, taxiways, aprons, and key buildings are all well represented. It’s a noticeable improvement over the default version in X-Plane. An ortho tile covers the area immediately surrounding the airport, blending in nicely with my own custom photographic tile. I always appreciate this touch, as it makes arrivals and departures feel that bit more immersive.







Runways and Taxiways
Runway and taxiway details are sharp, with well-defined markings and numbers. As I approached runway 13, I initially thought the numbers were duplicated, but a quick check with satellite imagery confirmed it’s accurate to the real airport. The surfaces show just enough weathering to avoid looking sterile. For the price point, the texture work is impressive and contributes to a convincing airfield environment.





Ground Textures and Vegetation
Ground textures across the infield and aprons carry through the same attention to detail, with oil stains, tyre marks, and weathered areas all helping to sell the realism.





These textures hold up well in all weather and lighting conditions, whether it’s rain, sun, or snow. Unlike some sceneries still using legacy X-Plane 11 trees, this package features proper XP12 3D vegetation throughout. The trees appear carefully placed, and grass elements are used sparingly but effectively.





Signs and Navigation Aids
Signage is well placed and clearly legible. I can’t speak to real-world accuracy, as I haven’t sat at the fence with binoculars, but in sim, the signage feels logical and useful. It gives you all the information you need to navigate the airport without issue.





Main Buildings
The terminal is well modelled, along with the historic 1931 Pan American Airways building. Various hangars and other ancillary buildings are also included, and these appear true to life based on available reference photos. Materials and shapes feel authentic, with some light weathering adding to the overall look.







Interiors
The terminal includes a detailed interior, complete with static 3D people, seating areas, baggage, and signage. While the people models aren’t the most detailed I’ve seen, it’s still nice to see them included, as they help bring a bit of life and atmosphere to the terminal.





Parking and Start Options
There are thirteen parking options across the main apron, plus three hold points near the runways. Of course, you can also start directly on the runway if you prefer. A small but welcome bonus is the control tower interior, which, while not overly detailed, adds a touch of character and could easily have been left empty.





Ground Clutter
Clutter is plentiful, which is always welcome at a smaller regional airport. The aprons are populated with fuel trucks, baggage equipment, and cargo trailers. The car parks include realistically placed vehicles, many of which are recognisable makes. It feels busy but not overdone.





Surroundings
Just beyond the airport, there’s a nicely modelled National Weather Service station, complete with radar domes and masts. Further afield, you’ll also find a representation of Elon Musk’s Starbase facility, a fun local landmark to include.







Night Lighting
I won’t get bogged down in detail here. Night lighting does exactly what it should, it illuminates the airport clearly and effectively. The effects are done reasonably well, consistent with what we’ve come to expect from X-Plane 12 and looks good in all conditions. There was with no noticeable impact on performance when flying at night.





Performance
I’m happy to report that KBRO wasn’t graphically demanding on my system, unlike some other sceneries I’ve tried. I don’t bother quoting frame rates anymore, as every sim setup is different and what works well for me might be completely different for someone else. What I can say is that I tested the scenery in both X-Plane 11 and 12, using default ground textures as well as my own custom ortho tile with X-World America by simHeaven, and it ran smoothly in all kinds of weather and lighting.







Conclusion
Fly2High may not be a premium developer in the X-Plane world, but with KBRO they’ve shown they know how to create interesting and enjoyable airports at a very reasonable price. Their rendition of Brownsville includes hand-placed vegetation, custom textures with realistic wear, static vehicles, and a well modelled terminal interior. Add in the Starbase facility, and smooth performance, and you have a package that delivers far more than the default scenery.

There isn’t much to criticise, though I would have liked to see some basic charts or a short history of the airport in the documentation. Even at this price point, that sort of detail is often included in similar products.

Overall, KBRO is a solid little airport that runs well, looks good, and offers a nice change of pace. If you enjoy discovering new corners of the X-Plane world, it’s a worthwhile addition. After reviewing this one, I’m tempted to explore more of Fly2High’s scenery.

______________________________________



KBRO - Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport by Fly2High is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:

KBRO - Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport

Priced at $13.99

Features
Hand-placed vegetation around entire airport and surrounding areas
Custom ground textures
Carefully modeled terminal interior
Hand-placed cars around entire airport
Custom night lighting
Accurate dirt/grunge textures around airport
3D grass vegetation
Modeled SpaceX areas
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux
8GB + VRAM Recommended
Download Size : 2.2 GB

Review System Specifications
Windows 10, Intel 4790K liquid-cooled, overclock to 5GHz, 32GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Nvidia GTX 1070ti, Titanium HD Audio Card.

__________________________________
Aircraft Review by Nick Garlick
5th June 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Scenery Review: KBLU – Blue Canyon Nyack by X-Codr



By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Sometimes what makes an airport stand out isn’t its size, it’s the location.

Situated in the scenic Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California, KBLU Blue Canyon Nyack offers not only stunning mountain views, but proximity to an area steeped in American history. The airport’s location is just two and a half miles west of Emigrant Gap, the western end of Donner Pass, and thirty miles west of Lake Tahoe. The airport sits at an elevation of 5,284 feet, so before you even take off, you’re already just over a mile above sea level.

The high altitude and mountain terrain offer pilots a challenge just taking off, and hoping their aircraft doesn’t experience a mechanical failure, as there’s little chance of finding a safe landing spot. A short, narrow runway limits this airport to light GA and helicopters, and it gives pilots ample opportunity to practise density altitude procedures. It also offers stunning mountain backdrops, great for screenshots.



Installation Process
The scenery downloads in two parts: the airport itself, which is around 471 MB, and the X-Codr scenery library at just over 2.5 GB. If you already have the scenery library installed from a previous X-Codr download, you can skip it. Just make sure to check which version you have, as this might be an update if you’re using an older package. There are no licence requirements or activation codes needed to start enjoying the scenery.

Documentation
The package download includes a six-page PDF that explains the installation process and provides a link to the Living Scenery Technology plug-in. If you don’t already have this plug-in from a previous X-Codr package, just click the link and follow the instructions to place it in your plug-ins folder in X-Plane. This allows you to turn on the runway lights. Without it, you won’t see this airport at night.



About the Screenshots
To show the scenery at its best, the screenshots in this review were taken using a custom Ortho4XP tile, and X-World America.

High Altitude Overview
Since the airport sits just four feet over a mile high already, getting a high-altitude overview meant going a lot higher than I usually fly, up to 8,000 feet, for starters. From that altitude, the airport stood out a little, looking like a scar on the ridgeline, as the surrounding area is heavily forested.





The closer you get, the more it blends in, as smaller trees and bushes become more visible. There’s also a slightly dusty feel to the airport, as it sits so high and dry



Runway and Taxiways
The north end of the runway sits just 300 feet from Interstate 80, making for some interesting approaches. It feels like you're slipping down out of the trees and dropping into a tight spot.







The south end of the runway offers a more open approach, with thinner tree cover and a clear area just before the threshold. There's a slight rise in the terrain as you reach the runway, giving it a bit of a ramped-in feel. It's still a narrow slot to aim for, but not quite as dramatic as the approach from the north.





It’s a short runway too, just 3,300 feet long and 50 feet wide. That’s not too bad at sea level, but up here at 5,284 feet, your aircraft will definitely feel the difference. My Cessna 172 wasn’t exactly thrilled with the thin air. I found flaps really helped when I tested the takeoff run. The runway itself is in fair to good condition, with patches of drifting dirt that reflect the unmanned nature of the airport.

Although I couldn’t confirm it (the airport wouldn’t open in WED), I suspect X-Codr used ortho imagery for the runway texture over a transparent surface. Despite the numerous ramp start points, you won’t have to wait in line or worry about AI planes while you back-taxi to the end. Markings for the runway are custom and suitably weathered. One unusual thing I noticed, going from the runway to the ramp, was a noticeable bump on the short taxiway, which can even be seen on video of the real airport.





Ground Textures & Foliage
As for the ground texture, I suspect there’s some ortho imagery baked into the airport scenery itself. The custom objects folder includes what look like ortho textures, though I can’t confirm exactly how they’re used. The ground blends well with the surrounding autogen, and the foliage matches the area nicely. Both line up with satellite imagery almost seamlessly. Short, scrub trees and bushes encroach on the airport from the sides, giving way to tall timber.



Signage & Navigation Aids
There isn’t much in the way of signage, just a small sign near the airport entrance and the name painted on the runway. Navigation aids are practically non-existent, including a non-functioning airport beacon. The real airport’s beacon is listed as not operational on many airport information websites, so not having a working one here is realistic.



Main Airport Buildings
The main buildings that stand out here are two observatories, which seem to be locked up and disused. They’re well detailed, with protruding door handles, boarded-up doors, and a security camera on the corner of one of them.





Other buildings include three shacks on the airport itself, and a few garages just off the road leading to the airport. All are well detailed and appropriately weathered. No interiors are included for any of the buildings. Lastly, there are two cell towers close to the field and what appears to be an automated AWOS station.





Ground Clutter
There are three dome mountain tents sit at the edge of the ramp, plus a couple of chemical toilets. There are no 3D people here, which helps lend the feel of an unattended airport. You won’t even find a car in any of the parking lots.



Surrounding Area
At just 30 miles from Lake Tahoe, and 40 miles north-east of Sacramento, the airport sits on a ridge above the Blue Canyon, just west of Donner Pass. It’s surrounded by stunning, rugged mountain scenery and is very close to the interstate highway that runs through the pass. The interstate can even help you find the airport if you’re trying to get back to it.

One thing I noticed while flying over the area with both the Cessna 172 and the Bell 206 was a distinct lack of places to put down in case of an emergency. The interstate would be your only option if the engine fails. Truckee Tahoe Airport to the north of Lake Tahoe, and Lake Tahoe Airport to the south, are both short flights from KBLU. If you’re planning to simulate an engine failure, I’d aim for Truckee Tahoe, as it’s closer to the interstate.





Seasons
One thing worth mentioning is the seasonal changes. In spring, you’ll spot flowers and bright green grass popping up, while summer and autumn give the place a drier, dustier look. It’s a nice touch that adds a bit of life as the months go by.







Night Lighting
The night lighting here is different from most airports I’ve flown to. The runway lights only come on if you click your push-to-talk button five times. Make sure you have the Living Scenery Technology plug-in installed, or you won’t get any lights. Other lights at the airport include the anti-collision lights on the two cell towers, the tetrahedron showing wind direction, and the three mountain tents, which light up at night. As mentioned on several airport information websites, and modelled here, the beacon isn’t lit. My recommendation is to follow the well-lit freeway until you see the cell tower lights, then click the PTT button to bring up the runway lights.





Performance Impact
This scenery isn’t too hard on the computer. I was getting my usual mid to upper 30s for FPS throughout the entire flight to, from, and around the airport. It should run smoothly on any computer that meets the minimum requirements for X-Plane 12. X-Codr mentions in the PDF that textures may appear blurry depending on your distance from objects on the field. The idea is that this helps save VRAM. I didn’t really notice any blurry textures myself, but my computer is fairly robust, so your mileage may vary.





Conclusion
Overall, I’d say this airport is well worth the price. It’s in a stunning scenic area, great for learning density altitude operations, and mountain sightseeing. It’s definitely one for small GA aircraft and helicopters, as I don’t think I’d try it even with large GA aircraft unless they’re really good at short field operations.

The airport is well done, and despite my usual objections to ortho imagery, these are used without the time-sensitive shadows and flat 2D objects that often spoil ortho work in other airports. I think this airport is tailor-made for people who love backcountry flying and want a slightly more civilised base to return to after exploring mountain passes and valleys.


______________________________________


KBLU - Blue Canyon Nyack, California by X-Codr is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

KBLU - Blue Canyon Nyack, California

Priced at US$7.99

If you purchase A30 Scott Valley with KBLU , you get 25% off.

Features
High Quality Models:
Models are detailed down to the door handles
Models feature high resolution textures with PBR maps
Realistically animated models (Tetrahedron blows in the wind, etc)
High Quality Ground Textures:
Custom accurate pavement
Realistic dirt spill over on pavement
Custom color corrected ortho for the airport
Dynamic Scenery:
Realistic seasonal changes. Watch the grass spring to life, full of flowers during the spring.
Watch grass thin and shrubs and grass shift from their vibrant spring green to a dull
brown through the summer and autumn
Experience beautiful weather effects for puddles after a dramatic thunderstorm, or a
snowy winter wonderland after a winter storm blows through the Sierra Nevadas
Activate runways lights with your push to talk button 5 times on the airport’s CTAF
Detailed Rendition of KBLU:
Accurately placed clutter (barrels, propane tanks, etc)
All buildings, marking, clutter, dirt, etc based on on site photographs from May 2022
Bundle with A30 - Scott Valley to save 25% off one of these scenic Northern California airports!
Requirements
X-Plane 12 only (not XP11)
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 482 MB
Current version: 1.0 (May 1st 2025)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11
__________________________________
Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
30th May 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Scenery Review: A30 - Scott Valley, California by X-Codr



By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Nestled in the majestic Cascade Mountains of Northern California, just thirty-five miles northeast of Mount Shasta, lies the tiny Scott Valley airport.

The valley, first discovered in 1830, was home to the Shasta tribe of Native Americans and was originally known for beaver trapping until the gold rush of 1849. Today, scenic mountain vistas and agriculture are its main attractions. Surrounded by the stunning Cascade Mountains, and with a short runway of just 3,700 feet, this isn’t one for the airline pilots. It’s a small airport, sitting at just over 2,700 feet above sea level, and tucked away in a small valley. The real airport is home to firefighting helicopters during the fire season, and the sim version includes dedicated helicopter pads as ramp start points.

The runway is just long enough to handle light GA. My Cessna 172 managed to take off and land without using the whole runway, even without flaps on take-off. It’s a great airport for mountain sightseeing, and it’s close to Mount Shasta, the second highest peak in the Cascades.



Installation Process
The installation’s not very complicated. It comes with two files: an updated X-Codr scenery library and the airport itself. I recommend adding the updated scenery library, as my copy seemed to be out of date. I’d also recommend adding X-Codr’s Living Scenery Technology as you’ll need it to turn on the airport lights. More on that later.

To install, just download the scenery and the updated library, and place them both into your Custom Scenery folder. The airport is only around 561 MB, and the scenery library is about 2.41 GB. There’s no activation code or licensing required.

Documentation
The airport comes with a six-page PDF manual that covers installation, special features, and the plug-ins required to make everything work. There’s also a FAQ section for any questions you might have, plus contact information in case something’s not covered. The library download includes a two-page PDF that explains what you can and can’t do with the library, along with more contact details. Make sure to follow the link for the Living Scenery Technology file. It’ll save you a headache later if you’re trying to find the airport at night.



About the Screenshots
To show the scenery at its best, the screenshots in this review were taken using a custom Ortho4XP tile, and X-World America.

Exploration Walkthrough
By default, the ground textures are stock X-Plane, as far as I can tell. No ortho photos were used for this airport, and the foliage also seems to be X-Plane’s default, so it blends naturally into the wider landscape. X-Codr notes that the scenery is designed to work well with both default and ortho imagery, and from what I’ve seen, it really shines when paired with higher-quality terrain and enhanced autogen. It makes for a much more immersive experience.

For the high-altitude overview, I flew over the airport several times at 7,600 feet. Given the airport already sits above 2,700, it didn’t take long to climb to altitude. The airport is surrounded by agriculture, lots of farms, and it seems to blend in very well with the surrounding area. Almost too well. I had trouble spotting it from high altitude, and at night, the airport just disappears entirely.





It sits in a confined valley, surrounded by very large, rugged mountains, so getting to a safe altitude means going a lot higher than I usually fly. Fortunately, the valley isn’t so small that I couldn’t manage a decent approach for landing. Following the road to the airport made it easier to find the runway.





Runway and Taxiways
The single runway looks like it’s well maintained and has decent-sized areas at each end for turnarounds and engine run-ups. Taxiways are only offered at points to turn into ramps, so a lot of back taxiing on the runway is required when starting from any of them.

I wasn’t able to open this airport in WED to confirm my suspicion, but since no other aircraft spawned at the airport, I suspect X-Codr used a transparent texture for the runway and separate polygons to represent the different textures. This is one of those things left over from X-Plane 11 and no longer needed in X-Plane 12, but some designers still use the technique to vary runway appearance. It also means you’ll have the airport to yourself, and you won’t be waiting for AI planes to taxi and take off.





Signage & Navigation Aids
Signs are pretty limited here. There’s the airport sign, a couple of small signs, but as far as runway or taxi signs go, there’s nothing. The runway itself has markings, but other than that, you get a lighted windsock, a beacon, and that’s about it for navigation aids. Blink and you’ll miss the whole place.







Main Airport Buildings
The buildings really do this airport justice. They match the pictures on Google Earth Street View perfectly, and I’ve seen other photos online, so these buildings just look right. There aren’t many of them, but they’re well detailed, and a few are even open so you can view the interiors. The ones that aren’t open don’t have any interior detail.







Ground Clutter
Ground clutter is everywhere, and it’s well detailed. All kinds of objects like traffic cones, benches, fuel point objects and just stuff everywhere. What the airport doesn’t have is people. Not a soul to be seen. It’s like we caught the airport on a break where everyone went to town for lunch. Add to that the weeds growing on the ramps and you might almost get the feeling you were at a deserted, abandoned airport.





Surrounding Area
There’s a lot to see around the airport. Most prominent are two hay storage barns with stunning detail inside. Not only can you see the space between the pallets of hay, but the support beams in the roof have proper structure, with metal plates bolted into the beams.





There are a couple of farmhouses close to the airport, done with appropriate detail and well executed. What really stands out though are the power lines and poles. They’re very well detailed, with transformers and lines going from pole to pole. At first, I thought the lines had warning balls on them for low-flying aircraft, but it turned out to be X-Plane 12 putting hot air balloons near airports in their latest update.





Night Lighting
And here’s where things got interesting. Night lighting almost doesn’t exist at this airport until you install the Living Scenery Technology add-on. At night, the airport disappears. Even the beacon is only visible if you’re very close to it. If you’re five miles out and looking for a sign, you won’t see one. With the Living Scenery Technology plug-in, you can turn on the runway lights by clicking the Push To Talk button five times. But you’ll need to bind a key to that function, or it won’t work. If you don’t have the Living Scenery plug-in, finding this airport at night will take a lot of guessing, a GPS, a map, and a lot of luck.





Performance Impact
I didn’t see a huge impact on frame rates with this airport. X-Codr seems to take a lot of care to make sure their scenery doesn’t hit lower-end computers too hard. Everything ran smoothly, and my computer didn’t seem to have to work too hard with this one.





Conclusion
Overall, I’d say this is a nice little airport for anyone into light GA or helicopters. It’s not meant for airliners or military aircraft that need a long runway. But if you like mountain flying and cool scenery, this place has a lot to offer. It’s a quirky little spot with personality, and it’s close to some stunning views. A great place to start exploring the Cascade Mountains of Northern California.

If I were using a rating system, I’d give it four stars, mainly because the method for getting the runway lights to work is a little confusing, and there’s no people. Other than that, it’s well worth the price.

______________________________________


A30 - Scott Valley, California by X-Codr is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

A30 - Scott Valley, California

Priced at US$9.99

Features
High Quality Rendition of Scott Valley for X-Plane 12
Extremely detailed buildings, modeled off real photographs
Near photo-realistic textures.
Realistic material and normal mapping on textures for excellent lighting and reflections.
High quality ground textures with layered detail textures for extreme detail, with minimal performance impact
Realistic night lighting
Custom pilot-controlled runway lighting system, activates runway lights with 5 clicks of the TT command when on the correct CTAF frequency
Baked extremely low poly models for LODs, providing huge performance savings, with very little visual loss
Realistic weather effects
Realistic seasonal effects (such as leaves on the ground, and leaves falling from trees)
Bundle with KBLU - Blue Canyon Nyack for 25% off one of these scenic Northern California airports!
Requirements
X-Plane 12 only (not XP11)
Windows, Mac, or Linux
8 GB VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 561 MB
Current version: 1.0 (May 1st, 2025)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11
__________________________________
Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
27th May 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Aircraft Review: de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo by X-Hangar



By Dominic Smith

Introduction
Well, I’m back again with an updated model from X-Hangar, this time the venerable DHC-5 Buffalo. This tough and versatile transport, with its own kind of charm and character, is the latest to grab my attention, especially as it’s from a developer whose work I always enjoy.

The DHC-5 Buffalo, a follow-on from the DHC-4 Caribou, was developed by De Havilland Canada and first flew in the 1960s. Built to meet the demanding needs of both military and civilian operators, the Buffalo made a name for itself with its STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) abilities, able to get into places where most aircraft could not. Over the years, it’s been used for everything from troop transport and cargo runs to search and rescue and has built a reputation for being both reliable and versatile.

X-Hangar's DHC-5 Buffalo, much like their Caribou before it, shows their commitment to delivering aircraft that are immersive, easy to fly, and fun. It comes packed with features, including a carefully modelled 3D cockpit, working windows, doors and cargo ramp, realistic rain effects and wipers, two load layouts (passenger or cargo), detailed pilot and passenger figures, an Easter Award feature, support for Garmin 600 and 700 series avionics, better lighting and rain visuals for X-Plane 12, a well-written PDF manual, and a wide range of international liveries to pick from.

Documentation
Keeping with X-Hangar’s usual approach of making things straightforward and easy to use, the Buffalo comes with a detailed 19-page PDF manual. It gives a good overview of the aircraft’s systems and cockpit layout, and also walks you through how to operate it through all phases of flight. The manual is nicely written, easy to follow, and includes plenty of images to help explain things clearly. It also covers some of the newer features like the Easter Award box and support for the optional Garmin 600 and 700 series avionics.

Installation
Installing the DHC-5 Buffalo is as simple and straightforward as you would expect from X-Hangar. Once you’ve made your purchase, you just download the zip file, which contains versions for both X-Plane 12 and 11. After that, it’s just a case of unzipping the file and dropping the folder into your 'Aircraft' directory. There are no complicated steps, no software wrappers to deal with, and no online activation needed. Once it’s installed, it’s ready to fly, which is something I’ve always appreciated about X-Hangar's aircraft.

Exterior
X-Hangar’s DHC-5 Buffalo, much like their earlier DHC-4 Caribou, has a solid, no-nonsense look that fits the real-world aircraft perfectly. Built to handle tough jobs and rough strips, the Buffalo’s chunky fuselage, high wings, and twin turboprop engines are all captured nicely here. It’s a little bigger and a little more powerful than the Caribou, and you can see those differences in the model.

The texturing on the Buffalo is really well done, with liveries that match up closely to real-world examples, twenty in total. Compared to the earlier Caribou, the Buffalo’s exterior textures show a bit more refinement, especially with the metallic finish, giving the paintwork a slightly more realistic look. It still has that bit of X-Hangar charm though, which suits the model well and keeps it from feeling too polished or clinical. A small selection of the liveries are shown below.







The exterior of the Buffalo strikes a nice balance between realism and artistic style. While it does not have the photorealistic textures you might find on some of the more expensive models, it still stands out as a faithful and enjoyable version of the real thing. The working doors, windows, and rear loading ramp add a lot to the experience, along with a few extra touches like the X-Hangar tent and truck, which help bring the aircraft’s world to life a little more.







Interior
The cockpit of X-Hangar’s Buffalo strikes a nice balance between practicality and visual appeal, following the style they set with the Caribou. Everything feels nicely thought out without losing that bit of X-Hangar charm. In front of the pilot, you have the essential six flight instruments alongside the Century 41 autopilot, which gives you a good solid setup for flying. The centre console holds all the important engine gauges and includes a Garmin 530 GPS unit with a pop-out feature for easier use. Engine fire controls are positioned just above, where they are easy to get to if needed.

A new addition worth mentioning is the inclusion of a Garmin 430 for the copilot's side, giving even more flexibility when it comes to flight management. Rain effects have also been improved in X-Plane 12, with water now streaming more realistically across the glass during wet weather operations. Between the two pilot seats you will find the radio controls, all within easy reach. Above your head, the throttle, prop pitch, flaps, and ignition switches are arranged across the overhead panel, helping to break up the large glass area while keeping everything close to hand.







Thanks to the latest updates, the gauge glass now has a more transparent look, and there is a new 3D panel top graphic that gives the cockpit a slightly sharper feel compared to earlier models. Despite the age of the design, X-Hangar has kept everything crisp and easy to read. If you look closely, you might spot a little softening of the textures here and there, but it does not take anything away from how enjoyable the cockpit is to fly from.







Stepping into the cabin, you get a choice that adds a nice bit of variety to the Buffalo. Using the kneepad, you can either have seats filled with passengers, or with a simple click, fold them away and load up a few classic vehicles instead. It is a small touch but it gives the aircraft a real sense of versatility, just like the real thing. As a small bonus, if you're flying in the month of April (and who isn’t), you might spot a little Easter Award box tucked into the cockpit. It's a fun feature that adds items based on your flight hours, and while it does not affect how the Buffalo flies, it adds a nice personal touch for those who enjoy clocking up the hours.







Sounds
The sounds included with X-Hangar’s Buffalo do not use the FMOD sound system, and honestly, I find that quite refreshing these days. FMOD has become the standard for a lot of developers, but not always for the better. Even without it, the Buffalo’s engine sounds are more than good enough and fit the aircraft well. It is always hard to show sound in a written review, but if you watch the video below, it gives a pretty good idea of what the turboprops sound like in the sim.

Flight Characteristics
After getting familiar with the Buffalo on the ground, I was keen to see how it performed in the air. I picked Sitka Airport in Alaska as my departure point, a place that has been a favourite of mine ever since the old Inside Passage and Final Frontier packages by Tom Curtis back in the X-Plane 9 days.

From the start, the Buffalo’s ground handling, just like the Caribou, impressed me with how responsive it felt. Taxiing out to the runway was smooth and enjoyable. As I opened up the throttles, the aircraft surged forward, showing off the power of the GE T64 turboprops. In true STOL fashion, the Buffalo was airborne in no time, climbing away with that same effortless performance the real aircraft is known for.







Once up in the air, the extra thrust from the twin turboprops was obvious, giving a nice boost over the older DHC-4. During cruise, the Buffalo held altitude with ease, feeling very stable. I resisted the urge to throw it around too much, but I did run a few stall tests, and the aircraft behaved exactly as you would expect. It gave a slight wing dip before recovering cleanly, just like a good STOL transport should.







Coming back into Sitka for landing, the Buffalo’s low-speed handling really stood out. The final approach needed a few gentle corrections with the wind, but nothing that felt tricky or unstable. It was a nice, controlled return to the ground.







Night Lighting
The night lighting in the Buffalo follows the same style as other X-Hangar models. There are plenty of dimmer switches to adjust the different cockpit lights, along with dedicated switches for the landing lights, taxi light, and navigation lights. Everything works as expected, although I did find the exterior lighting to be a bit strong, with some reflection showing on the fuselage. That said, it is not something that takes away from the experience, and flying the Buffalo at night is still just as enjoyable.





A Note About Lighting
Just a small note regarding the screenshots in this review. I used X-Plane 12.2 Beta 4 during testing, and at the time of writing, the lighting system in the sim seems to be overly bright in some areas, with a noticeable loss of contrast and colour depth. While older versions of X-Plane 12 had darker cockpits, the outside world lighting, in my opinion, looked more natural. I mention this in case you notice the screenshots looking a little washed out compared to what you might expect. This is more down to the sim itself than the Buffalo model.

Performance
The performance of the DHC-5 Buffalo is right in line with what I have come to expect from X-Hangar models. It is designed with real thought for the average simmer’s computer, and as such, you do not need the latest and greatest setup to enjoy it properly, which is always a big plus. Even with a relatively detailed airport and changing weather conditions (bring on those clouds), the Buffalo ran smoothly, which is a clear sign the developer had performance in mind during development.





Conclusion
The DHC-5 Buffalo by X-Hangar, much like the earlier Caribou, blends a good bit of old-school charm with a go-anywhere (almost) slice of versatility. It runs really well, showing that X-Hangar is focused on making aircraft that are both fun to fly and easy on the computer. You will not find 4K textures here, but you do get authentic sounds, a wide choice of liveries, and a real sense of character that makes the Buffalo stand out.

For anyone looking to add a classic, versatile aircraft to their hangar, the Buffalo is a cracking choice. It offers the kind of adventures and flying experiences that few others can match.

________________________



The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo by X-Hangar is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:

de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo
Priced at US$22.95

Features
For both X-Plane 12 and 11
3D cockpit
VR cockpit
Rain and wipers
Opening windows
Opening doors
Opening ramp
Yoke hides with keyboard key or press of a button on the panel
Steerable yoke in both 3d and VR
Pilot figures
Passenger figures
Static models
Chocks and remove before flight flags
Menu to hide co-pilot and other options
Two different loads: Passenger or Cargo
Cargo or passenger load displays according to load (more with more weight and less with less weight)
Many international liveries
Layers for painting your own livery
Garmin 540 GPS with pop out or press buttons
Autopilot Century 41
Checklist in .txt format to use in the Sim
User manual in .pdf format to help fly in X-Plane
FSE file included to fly Flight Sim Economy
Requirements
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac, or Linux
8 GB VRAM Minimum
Download Size: 311 Mb

Review System Specifications
Intel i5 13400 – 32GB RAM - Nvidia Asus RTX 4070 – Windows 11 Pro 64 Bit
__________________________________

Aircraft Review by Dominic Smith
29th April 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Aircraft Review: Aeropro EuroFOX by VSKYLABS



By Colin Parker

Introduction
The Aeropro EuroFox is another Rotax-powered microlight/light sport aircraft coming out of Eastern Europe. The first model was built in 1990 by Aeropro at their factory in Nitra (then in Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) and has become a well-established aircraft, popular and trusted by pilots.

It’s a high-wing monoplane, seating two in a tandem configuration. It cruises at around 90 knots (similar to a Cessna 150 or 152) and with a stall speed of about 35 knots, it is ideal for short field operations. The EuroFox is available in either tricycle or tailwheel configurations and comes with the usual cocktail of engine and instrumentation options.

The VSkyLabs add-on includes three variants of the EuroFOX aircraft: A240, A220, and A220 STOL. The EuroFOX A240 is equipped with tricycle-gear and steerable nosewheel, while the A220 is a taildragger and incorporates a steerable tail wheel.

Installation and documentation
The package includes separate versions for X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. This review covers the X-Plane 12 version. The download comes as a 232 MB zip file, expanding to 358 MB once uncompressed. Once downloaded, extract the "XP12-VSL Aeropro EuroFOX AU v9.0" folder into: X-Plane 12\Aircraft\Extra Aircraft\

As with other VSkyLabs products, the EuroFox includes a well put together Pilot Operating Handbook (POH). It is based on the official AeroPro POH but includes everything needed to make the most of the various add-ons. There are links to the AeroPro documentation as well, which are useful, although the add-on uses knots or kilometres per hour for airspeed, while the real-world manuals are all in miles per hour.

Like their other aircraft, VSkyLabs have grouped all the X-Refs and commands into a single collection, making it easier to set up flight simulator hardware and integrate with tools like Air Manager.

External walk-round
All three aircraft are beautifully modelled on the outside and come with the same set of liveries.









Textures, rivets, and latches are all nicely done, and all labels are crisp and clean. The three-blade propeller definitely looks the part. Transparent panels reflect light effectively and feature realistic stress marks and scratches. Light also reflects convincingly off the exterior surfaces.








Other than the doors, there are no openable panels, and no ground handling equipment or covers. While it would be nice to have these features included to allow for a proper walk-round, their absence has not spoiled my experience of the add-on and seems fair given the price point.



The main wheels on the tricycle version are bush wheels. On the standard tailwheel aircraft, they are a more traditional size and fitted with fairings. Visually, the only difference with the bush flying version is the larger bush wheels and the rather natty looking bright red leading-edge slats.



In the Cockpit
The EuroFox cockpit is laid out in a very similar way to VSkyLabs’ Aeroprakt A22. All variants share the same setup, with a standard instrument six-pack, an X-Plane G530, transponder, and a simple autopilot integrated into the turn and slip indicator. You can switch the airspeed indicator between knots and kilometres per hour by clicking on it. The compass is mounted at the top of the windshield, and there is no directional gyro. There is a fuel tank in each wing, with the fuel level indicators visible from within the cockpit in the wing roots. Fuel level changes are accurately reflected on the gauges. Starting up involves opening the fuel valves for each tank. Like the Aeroprakt, these are located behind you and are easy to forget about when you're seated in the cockpit.







The Rotax engines behave more like car engines than traditional aero engines. They run on standard unleaded fuel, but for me, having grown up on Continental and Lycoming engines, the biggest difference is in the engine revolutions. Warming up the engine at 2500 RPM for two minutes, then increasing to 3000 RPM to reach oil temperature, feels high but is correct. There is a hot spot on the right-hand side of the canopy that allows you to fit and remove the AviTab plugin.



Ground Handling
With nose wheel steering, ground handling in the tricycle gear variant is very straightforward.





Visibility on the ground isn’t bad by tailwheel standards, although you still need to weave to make sure you avoid running into anything. The steerable tailwheel, supported by differential braking, makes both variants easy to manoeuvre.

Like other tailwheel aircraft, the EuroFox is sensitive to wind while on the ground. During taxiing, it is important to orient the control surfaces correctly to stop a wing from lifting. A handy tip I came across is to always keep the stick pointed in the direction the wind is blowing. For example, if the wind is coming from over your right-hand shoulder, then push the stick fully forward and to the left. I have always struggled with working out how to deal with wind on the ground, and this tip (obvious though it now seems) has worked wonders for my taxiing.





Take-off and Landing
Tricycle gear: Smooth application of throttle sees the EuroFox lift off at around 35 knots. Like the Aeroprakt, it climbs like a lift, with a rate of over 1000 feet per minute.





Landing is straightforward, with or without flaperons. I flew the approach at 60 knots with full flaperon, with wheels touching down at around 40 knots.





Tailwheel: As with the stock Super Cub, hold the stick back until you're rolling, then centre it and work the pedals to keep straight as the tail rises. The aircraft lifts itself into the air a little later than the tricycle version, at around 40 to 43 knots.





If you can land the Super Cub, the EuroFox will present no challenges. Both three-pointer and wheeled landings are straightforward, with an approach at 60 knots and touchdown at around 40.





Stall and spin Awareness
Having tested the stall behaviour, I am not entirely sure it is quite right. It seems to stall with a left-wing drop just under 40 knots, which is about right, but the flaperons do not seem to make any difference. A spin can be achieved (although, according to the in-cockpit labelling, intentional spinning is prohibited) by applying full rudder in either direction just before the stall. To recover, simply centre the joystick and apply power.

For the bush-flying version, the leading-edge slats make a noticeable difference to stall performance. Rather than stalling, this version just settles into a 500 feet per minute controlled descent, during which the ailerons remain usable.





In the Cruise
Handling is smooth and well balanced in all axes. The EuroFox cruises at around 90 knots and is easily trimmed. The long wing flaperons give the aircraft a positive and immediate roll response, and pitch control is equally responsive. There are no noticeable differences between the three aircraft variants.

Visibility is nothing short of astonishing. The clear panel in the roof makes more of a difference than you might expect, especially when turning. None of the old problems I remember from learning in the Cessna 150, like having to lift the wing before turning to make sure the path was clear, then hurrying into the turn and hoping nothing had changed, apply here.







The autopilot is basic but effective, allowing control of both direction and attitude. Once you are flying at your desired height and heading, you can enable the autopilot by pressing the ALT button. A green rectangle will appear in the centre of the autopilot panel, with an orange square in the middle. This indicates "altitude hold" mode, and the aircraft will maintain straight and level flight.

Clicking the UP or DN buttons changes the indicator to orange, switching the autopilot to "attitude hold" mode. In this mode, it maintains the pitch attitude you have set, causing the aircraft to climb or descend. You can also use the LT and RT buttons to control roll and change direction. Clicking ALT again will reset the system to "altitude hold" mode, and the aircraft will return to level flight. Pressing ALT a second time disables the autopilot. It is more complicated to explain than to use.

There are no fancy linkages to flight plans in the Garmin 530, or any throttle control, but it does what it says on the tin. If, like me, you struggle to take external videos while maintaining control in flight, it is the perfect solution. The Garmin 530 allows you to enter and view flight plans and is where you manage radio and navigation frequencies. A separate transponder unit is installed in the usual place just below it.





AOA Indicator
The EuroFox includes a virtual Angle of Attack (AOA) indicator, based on the 'Alpha Systems AOA' Eagle kit. It uses a simple, colour-coded chevron display that's easy enough to get used to.

The green bar shows a low angle of attack and a good margin above stall. Just above that is a yellow triangle which marks manoeuvring speed, so full control deflection is available at that point. Yellow segments mean your angle is getting higher and the safety margin is reducing. The blue doughnut is the sweet spot for landing. If you see red chevrons, you're approaching or have gone past the critical angle and it’s time to correct. It’s a really handy bit of kit, especially during approaches. There are no audio cues like in the real thing, but it does the job nicely in the sim.





Sound
The model sounds very similar to the Aeroprakt, with accurate engine and in-cockpit audio. It might not be the most sophisticated soundscape I have ever come across, but it is more than acceptable, especially considering the price of the add-on.

Night lighting
The lighting all works as expected, with position lights only visible within the correct arcs. Cockpit lighting is suitably muted, and the airframe reflects external light in a realistic way.





Performance
None of the variants had any noticeable impact on simulator performance. They manage to look good while consuming minimal processing power.


Conclusion
Visually, and in terms of equipment, the EuroFox add-on is very similar to the VSkyLabs Aeroprakt A22. However, I have found it much easier to fly. All three models are a delight, although my particular favourite is the bush wheel variant, with its leading-edge slats and huge bush wheels.

As an avid fan of flying “low and slow” in X-Plane, I am very grateful to VSkyLabs for continuing to produce these fantastic small GA add-ons. Thoroughly recommended.

____________________________________________



Aeropro EuroFOX by VSKYLABS is available from the Org store here:

Aeropro EuroFOX by VSKYLABS
Priced at US$29.00

Project Highlights
Three aircraft included (A240/A220/A220-STOL).
Designed for X-Plane 12 cutting edge flight model environment. Authentic flight dynamics with authentic performance and flight handling characteristics.
Built for VR: Tailored for VR, and optimized for 2D usage.
Engineered and designed as a genuine, default X-Plane 12 aircraft. The VSKYLABS projects are practically show-casing X-Plane, as they are stretching X-Plane default features, systems and flight model to its limits without any dependencies on complementary plugins or software...delivering a very robust simulation model, having maximum compatibility with the ever evolving X-Plane flight simulator.
Perfect fit for beginner and expert pilots. Practice your skills through the Tricycle landing gears EuroFOX, Tail-Wheel variant, and a STOL Bush-Plane variant.
Equipped with Alpha Systems AOA 'Eagle' indicator replica.
Built-in Avitab Plugin Compatibility (AviTab plugin is not included).
FMOD 2.0 sound pack.
Autoupdater based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater - all updates are being pushed smoothly without the need to re-download the entire base package (base package will be updated every once in a while to minimize the gap).
Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums: VSKYLABS offers continuous professional support, from all aircraft related aspects (operating and flying) to X-Plane technical support.
Includes the VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders Heaven' assignment layer. It allows assigning all aircraft switches, knobs, levers and interactions in a designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen.
Under constant maintenance and development.
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 9.0 (XP12) (Feb 1st 2025)

Reviewers System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
Memory: 32.0 GB
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

Aircraft Review by Colin Parker
23rd April 2025
Copyright©2025: 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) 

Aircraft Review: Aeropro EuroFOX by VSKYLABS



By Colin Parker

Introduction
The Aeropro EuroFox is another Rotax-powered microlight/light sport aircraft coming out of Eastern Europe. The first model was built in 1990 by Aeropro at their factory in Nitra (then in Czechoslovakia, now Slovakia) and has become a well-established aircraft, popular and trusted by pilots.

It’s a high-wing monoplane, seating two in a tandem configuration. It cruises at around 90 knots (similar to a Cessna 150 or 152) and with a stall speed of about 35 knots, it is ideal for short field operations. The EuroFox is available in either tricycle or tailwheel configurations and comes with the usual cocktail of engine and instrumentation options.

The VSkyLabs add-on includes three variants of the EuroFOX aircraft: A240, A220, and A220 STOL. The EuroFOX A240 is equipped with tricycle-gear and steerable nosewheel, while the A220 is a taildragger and incorporates a steerable tail wheel.

Installation and documentation
The package includes separate versions for X-Plane 11 and X-Plane 12. This review covers the X-Plane 12 version. The download comes as a 232 MB zip file, expanding to 358 MB once uncompressed. Once downloaded, extract the "XP12-VSL Aeropro EuroFOX AU v9.0" folder into: X-Plane 12\Aircraft\Extra Aircraft\

As with other VSkyLabs products, the EuroFox includes a well put together Pilot Operating Handbook (POH). It is based on the official AeroPro POH but includes everything needed to make the most of the various add-ons. There are links to the AeroPro documentation as well, which are useful, although the add-on uses knots or kilometres per hour for airspeed, while the real-world manuals are all in miles per hour.

Like their other aircraft, VSkyLabs have grouped all the X-Refs and commands into a single collection, making it easier to set up flight simulator hardware and integrate with tools like Air Manager.

External walk-round
All three aircraft are beautifully modelled on the outside and come with the same set of liveries.









Textures, rivets, and latches are all nicely done, and all labels are crisp and clean. The three-blade propeller definitely looks the part. Transparent panels reflect light effectively and feature realistic stress marks and scratches. Light also reflects convincingly off the exterior surfaces.








Other than the doors, there are no openable panels, and no ground handling equipment or covers. While it would be nice to have these features included to allow for a proper walk-round, their absence has not spoiled my experience of the add-on and seems fair given the price point.



The main wheels on the tricycle version are bush wheels. On the standard tailwheel aircraft, they are a more traditional size and fitted with fairings. Visually, the only difference with the bush flying version is the larger bush wheels and the rather natty looking bright red leading-edge slats.



In the Cockpit
The EuroFox cockpit is laid out in a very similar way to VSkyLabs’ Aeroprakt A22. All variants share the same setup, with a standard instrument six-pack, an X-Plane G530, transponder, and a simple autopilot integrated into the turn and slip indicator. You can switch the airspeed indicator between knots and kilometres per hour by clicking on it. The compass is mounted at the top of the windshield, and there is no directional gyro. There is a fuel tank in each wing, with the fuel level indicators visible from within the cockpit in the wing roots. Fuel level changes are accurately reflected on the gauges. Starting up involves opening the fuel valves for each tank. Like the Aeroprakt, these are located behind you and are easy to forget about when you're seated in the cockpit.







The Rotax engines behave more like car engines than traditional aero engines. They run on standard unleaded fuel, but for me, having grown up on Continental and Lycoming engines, the biggest difference is in the engine revolutions. Warming up the engine at 2500 RPM for two minutes, then increasing to 3000 RPM to reach oil temperature, feels high but is correct. There is a hot spot on the right-hand side of the canopy that allows you to fit and remove the AviTab plugin.



Ground Handling
With nose wheel steering, ground handling in the tricycle gear variant is very straightforward.





Visibility on the ground isn’t bad by tailwheel standards, although you still need to weave to make sure you avoid running into anything. The steerable tailwheel, supported by differential braking, makes both variants easy to manoeuvre.

Like other tailwheel aircraft, the EuroFox is sensitive to wind while on the ground. During taxiing, it is important to orient the control surfaces correctly to stop a wing from lifting. A handy tip I came across is to always keep the stick pointed in the direction the wind is blowing. For example, if the wind is coming from over your right-hand shoulder, then push the stick fully forward and to the left. I have always struggled with working out how to deal with wind on the ground, and this tip (obvious though it now seems) has worked wonders for my taxiing.





Take-off and Landing
Tricycle gear: Smooth application of throttle sees the EuroFox lift off at around 35 knots. Like the Aeroprakt, it climbs like a lift, with a rate of over 1000 feet per minute.





Landing is straightforward, with or without flaperons. I flew the approach at 60 knots with full flaperon, with wheels touching down at around 40 knots.





Tailwheel: As with the stock Super Cub, hold the stick back until you're rolling, then centre it and work the pedals to keep straight as the tail rises. The aircraft lifts itself into the air a little later than the tricycle version, at around 40 to 43 knots.





If you can land the Super Cub, the EuroFox will present no challenges. Both three-pointer and wheeled landings are straightforward, with an approach at 60 knots and touchdown at around 40.





Stall and spin Awareness
Having tested the stall behaviour, I am not entirely sure it is quite right. It seems to stall with a left-wing drop just under 40 knots, which is about right, but the flaperons do not seem to make any difference. A spin can be achieved (although, according to the in-cockpit labelling, intentional spinning is prohibited) by applying full rudder in either direction just before the stall. To recover, simply centre the joystick and apply power.

For the bush-flying version, the leading-edge slats make a noticeable difference to stall performance. Rather than stalling, this version just settles into a 500 feet per minute controlled descent, during which the ailerons remain usable.





In the Cruise
Handling is smooth and well balanced in all axes. The EuroFox cruises at around 90 knots and is easily trimmed. The long wing flaperons give the aircraft a positive and immediate roll response, and pitch control is equally responsive. There are no noticeable differences between the three aircraft variants.

Visibility is nothing short of astonishing. The clear panel in the roof makes more of a difference than you might expect, especially when turning. None of the old problems I remember from learning in the Cessna 150, like having to lift the wing before turning to make sure the path was clear, then hurrying into the turn and hoping nothing had changed, apply here.







The autopilot is basic but effective, allowing control of both direction and attitude. Once you are flying at your desired height and heading, you can enable the autopilot by pressing the ALT button. A green rectangle will appear in the centre of the autopilot panel, with an orange square in the middle. This indicates "altitude hold" mode, and the aircraft will maintain straight and level flight.

Clicking the UP or DN buttons changes the indicator to orange, switching the autopilot to "attitude hold" mode. In this mode, it maintains the pitch attitude you have set, causing the aircraft to climb or descend. You can also use the LT and RT buttons to control roll and change direction. Clicking ALT again will reset the system to "altitude hold" mode, and the aircraft will return to level flight. Pressing ALT a second time disables the autopilot. It is more complicated to explain than to use.

There are no fancy linkages to flight plans in the Garmin 530, or any throttle control, but it does what it says on the tin. If, like me, you struggle to take external videos while maintaining control in flight, it is the perfect solution. The Garmin 530 allows you to enter and view flight plans and is where you manage radio and navigation frequencies. A separate transponder unit is installed in the usual place just below it.





AOA Indicator
The EuroFox includes a virtual Angle of Attack (AOA) indicator, based on the 'Alpha Systems AOA' Eagle kit. It uses a simple, colour-coded chevron display that's easy enough to get used to.

The green bar shows a low angle of attack and a good margin above stall. Just above that is a yellow triangle which marks manoeuvring speed, so full control deflection is available at that point. Yellow segments mean your angle is getting higher and the safety margin is reducing. The blue doughnut is the sweet spot for landing. If you see red chevrons, you're approaching or have gone past the critical angle and it’s time to correct. It’s a really handy bit of kit, especially during approaches. There are no audio cues like in the real thing, but it does the job nicely in the sim.





Sound
The model sounds very similar to the Aeroprakt, with accurate engine and in-cockpit audio. It might not be the most sophisticated soundscape I have ever come across, but it is more than acceptable, especially considering the price of the add-on.

Night lighting
The lighting all works as expected, with position lights only visible within the correct arcs. Cockpit lighting is suitably muted, and the airframe reflects external light in a realistic way.





Performance
None of the variants had any noticeable impact on simulator performance. They manage to look good while consuming minimal processing power.


Conclusion
Visually, and in terms of equipment, the EuroFox add-on is very similar to the VSkyLabs Aeroprakt A22. However, I have found it much easier to fly. All three models are a delight, although my particular favourite is the bush wheel variant, with its leading-edge slats and huge bush wheels.

As an avid fan of flying “low and slow” in X-Plane, I am very grateful to VSkyLabs for continuing to produce these fantastic small GA add-ons. Thoroughly recommended.

____________________________________________



Aeropro EuroFOX by VSKYLABS is available from the Org store here:

Aeropro EuroFOX by VSKYLABS
Priced at US$29.00

Project Highlights
Three aircraft included (A240/A220/A220-STOL).
Designed for X-Plane 12 cutting edge flight model environment. Authentic flight dynamics with authentic performance and flight handling characteristics.
Built for VR: Tailored for VR, and optimized for 2D usage.
Engineered and designed as a genuine, default X-Plane 12 aircraft. The VSKYLABS projects are practically show-casing X-Plane, as they are stretching X-Plane default features, systems and flight model to its limits without any dependencies on complementary plugins or software...delivering a very robust simulation model, having maximum compatibility with the ever evolving X-Plane flight simulator.
Perfect fit for beginner and expert pilots. Practice your skills through the Tricycle landing gears EuroFOX, Tail-Wheel variant, and a STOL Bush-Plane variant.
Equipped with Alpha Systems AOA 'Eagle' indicator replica.
Built-in Avitab Plugin Compatibility (AviTab plugin is not included).
FMOD 2.0 sound pack.
Autoupdater based on the SkunkCrafts autoupdater - all updates are being pushed smoothly without the need to re-download the entire base package (base package will be updated every once in a while to minimize the gap).
Highly responsive VSKYLABS support forums: VSKYLABS offers continuous professional support, from all aircraft related aspects (operating and flying) to X-Plane technical support.
Includes the VSKYLABS 'Cockpit-Builders Heaven' assignment layer. It allows assigning all aircraft switches, knobs, levers and interactions in a designated, uncluttered section in the X-Plane 12 assignment screen.
Under constant maintenance and development.
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 or X-Plane 11
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 9.0 (XP12) (Feb 1st 2025)

Reviewers System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
Memory: 32.0 GB
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

Aircraft Review by Colin Parker
23rd April 2025
Copyright©2025: 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) 

Scenery Review: KLDJ - Linden Airport, New Jersey by Skytitude



By Dennis Powell

Introduction
If you looked up the term “cute little airport” in any dictionary, you might just find the subject of this review. Welcome to the Garden State of New Jersey and Linden Airport. Situated just south of Elizabeth, New Jersey, and surrounded by urban sprawl, Linden Airport is a tiny GA field hemmed in by the city on three sides and a rail yard to the south. Its claim to fame is that it's only five minutes from New York City by helicopter.

If you’re looking for a smaller GA airport from which to explore New York City and its surroundings, this is it. You won’t be intimidated by large airliners forcing you to wait in line for takeoff. The airport offers a single runway, running east to west, and a spacious ramp with plenty of ramp start points to choose from. As advertised, it’s only five minutes from here to New York City, or even less if your destination is Staten Island.

Installation Process
Installation couldn’t be simpler. Just open the zipped file, then copy and paste it into your Custom Scenery folder. In my case, I just drag it to the Custom Scenery folder that’s pinned to my sidebar when I download files. It’s that easy. There’s no product code, licence code, or activation process involved.

Documentation
Documentation for this file is limited to a single readme file in Notepad format that explains the installation process. There are no charts or navigation documents included for this airport.

High Altitude Overview
Flying over the airport, it’s almost easy to miss. It’s very small and is surrounded by a mall on one side and a rail yard on the other. The single runway runs east to west and has a full-length taxiway just south of it.





There’s a large ramp in front of the hangars, and another even larger ramp behind that. The most noticeable feature from above is the strip mall to the north, with its huge parking lot that’s almost bigger than the airport itself. At one time in its history, Linden Airport had two runways, but the north-south runway was demolished to make room for the strip mall. Parts of the old taxiway leading to that former runway are still visible from the air.



Runway and Taxiways
The runway is wide at 100 feet, but not very long at just 4,140 feet, so don’t expect to get a Boeing 747 in or out of here. The runway surface is in good condition, though the markings are realistically faded and worn. It’s well-lit along the sides, but there are no centreline lights. There are two taxiway connections at midfield and another at each end of the runway. They’re well marked and match the runway in terms of faded paint, but overall, they’re in good condition. The main taxiway runs parallel to the runway and connects to the large ramp.







Ground Textures and Foliage
For ground textures, the author used ortho photos, but unlike some airports I’ve reviewed, it looks like they took the time to eliminate time-sensitive shadows and things like cars on roads, aircraft on ramps, and other 2D objects from the ortho. I wasn’t able to open this airport in World Editor, so I can’t confirm whether ortho photos were used for the runway, taxiways, and ramp, but I suspect they were, with transparent textures added. I say that because I never saw any AI aircraft spawning on the ramp or using the airport at all.





As for the foliage, it seems to blend well with the surrounding autogen, and I couldn’t see any time-sensitive shadowing under the trees. The trees are 3D and move with the wind.





Signage and Navigation Aids
When it comes to signage, there are custom airport signs at the edge of the field that match what I saw on Google Earth Street View, along with numerous taxi signs on the field itself. They all appear to be correct and easy to read. As for navigation aids, there’s only the airport beacon guiding you to the field. No other nav aids are present at this airport, so you have to find it the hard way.





Main Airport Buildings
The airport terminal looks like a large hangar, with another hangar right next to it. Behind those are four more hangars, including the nesting T-type hangars, and they all match up well with pictures found on the web.







The next most prominent structure is the strip mall next to the airport. It features a few stores, including two each of a Home Depot and a JCPenney, as well as Marshalls and Sears. In reality, there are quite a few different stores in this area, including an AMC movie theatre, but that’s missing here. What I haven’t been able to figure out is where these store models come from. They’re not default, and they’re not in the airport’s objects folder either. The strip mall doesn’t appear in the default version of the airport, so it must be in this file somewhere, I just haven’t been able to find it.





Ground Clutter and 3D People
There’s not much in the way of airport clutter here, and no people. It feels like the airport is deserted. There aren’t even any parked aircraft on the ramp. A fire truck is parked next to one of the main hangars, and aside from some traffic cones, there’s not a lot else. One detail I did notice is the 3D rings on the tie-down points in the parking area. Each of the T markings has prominent 3D hard points that stick up from the ground. They were too far apart for my Cessna 172 from Airfoil Labs to tie down to, but they are there.





Surrounding Area
Here’s where the first real mystery comes in. The author has added the nearby strip mall, which now covers what used to be part of the airport, but I can’t figure out how they did it. There’s nothing in the objects file, and it’s not part of the default library, so I’ve no idea how the strip mall ended up in the scenery. As for the rest of the surroundings, autogen fills things in pretty well, and the area looks as built up as you’d expect for this part of New Jersey. The airport is surrounded by urban clutter, mostly provided by Laminar’s autogen, and it fits the scene perfectly. I really felt like I was flying over Linden, New Jersey.





Night Lighting
This is another area where the scenery really stands out. It’s been said that most airports should look like a black hole when surrounded by a city, and this one pulls that off very well. It’s a little black spot surrounded by city streetlights, parking lot lights, and a huge airport just to the north. The only things that give it away are the airport beacon and the runway and taxiway lights. There’s minimal ramp lighting and only a few lights on the main hangars. It really does feel like a black hole in the middle of a city. Another nice touch is how the author used ortho photos to precisely place the runway and taxiway lights, so they’re exactly where they appear at the real airport.







Performance Impact
This is one of the most built-up areas in X-Plane, being this close to New York City, and the performance reflects that. For most of my flights, I was averaging between 23 and 38 frames per second. Now, I’ve got a pretty solid computer with plenty of memory, but if you’re on a lower-end machine with just the minimum specs to run X-Plane, New York and upper New Jersey are going to push it. I’m running 32 GB of RAM and a graphics card with 12 GB of video RAM, and even then, I wasn’t seeing anything above 38 FPS, so judge accordingly based on your setup.





Conclusion
If you’re looking for an airport to start exploring the New York City area, there’s none better. You’ve got the airport to yourself, so there’s no waiting to take off. It’s super close to a lot of scenery objects, especially in NYC. It’s not a huge airport, so it’s not one for people who like to fly airliners, but for light GA and helicopters, it’s ideal. And for the price, you really can’t beat it. It’s probably the most accurate version of this airport available, and I even checked the default version to be sure. I’ll give it five stars, and would give it more if I could have opened it in WED to see how they did what they did.

______________________________________


KLDJ - Linden Airport, New Jersey by Skytitude is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

KLDJ - Linden Airport

Priced at $12.95

Features
Highly Detailed & Realistic Representation – A precise recreation of Linden Airport
Expansive Industrial & Commercial Areas – Perfect for immersive VFR flights
Advanced PBR Textures & Materials – Realistic surfaces with physical-based rendering
Dynamic Weather Effects – Wet surfaces powered by X-Plane 12's latest technology
True-to-Life Buildings & Night Lighting – Stunning visuals at any time of day
Ultra-High Resolution Object Textures – Enhanced realism with X-Plane 12 detail maps
Dense, Hand-Placed Vegetation & Forests – Lush surroundings for added immersion
Custom 3D Grass & Foliage – Using X-Plane 12's cutting-edge vegetation technology
Extensive Surrounding Area – Thousands of hand-placed objects for maximum authenticity
Requirements
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac or Linux
Download Size: 500 MB
Current version : 1.0 - March 13th 2025

Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11
__________________________________
Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
25th April 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Aircraft Review: Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask - Second Opinion



By Colin Parker

Introduction
The Diamond DA20 C1 is an Austrian-designed, two-seat, single-engine light aircraft intended for general aviation. Developed by Diamond Aircraft and based on their successful Dimona motor glider, it was first introduced in 1992. It features a composite airframe, tricycle landing gear, low-wing configuration, a T-tail, and a castoring nosewheel. It is widely used in flight schools due to its reliability and cost-effectiveness.

The US Air Force has used the DV20 (a Canadian-built variant of the DA20) in its initial pilot selection programme since 2002. There have been a number of different variants with different powerplants. This version features the Continental IO-240-B3B engine, and Aerobask have designated it the DA20 SV due to its inclusion of the excellent Skunkcrafts Dynon SkyView glass cockpit.

The DA20’s composite construction is a relative rarity among trainers. However, like Grob with their 115 and Slingsby with the Firefly, Diamond have drawn on their glider production heritage to create a good-looking and easy-to-fly aircraft. Although this DA20 includes instrumentation and avionics suitable for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR), its plastic airframe lacks lightning protection and therefore does not qualify for IFR certification. Additionally, the GPS fitted to the aircraft is not certified for instrument navigation.

Installation and Documentation
It’s important to note that the DA20 is only compatible with X-Plane 12.1.2 and above. If you haven’t upgraded to at least this version, it won’t work. After purchasing, you’ll be able to download the aircraft as a zip file. Once downloaded, extract the Diamond DA20SV folder into: X-Plane 12\Aircraft\Extra Aircraft\

The zip file is 295MB, expanding to 700MB when uncompressed. The first time you load the add-on, and again if you receive an update, you’ll need to enter the serial number provided by Aerobask and restart. You can either restart the entire simulator, or if you're comfortable doing so, simply reload the aircraft from the Developer menu.

There are four PDFs in the Documents folder:
Pilot Operating Handbook (POH)
Checklist – Normal Operations
Checklist – Emergencies
Aircraft Installation
All four documents are well laid out and provide just the information a flight sim enthusiast needs. If I had one criticism, it’s that the POH is a little light on documentation for the SkyView panel, offering only a link to an unnarrated video by Skunkcrafts.

Aerobask Configuration Panel
As with other recent Aerobask models, the DA20 introduces a new menu item in X-Plane that provides access to an aircraft configuration panel.

The panel has four tabs:
Ground – Allows you to choose the livery, set the crew model (male or female pilot), and choose whether the co-pilot is visible. It also lets you set the fuel level and configure external components, such as the external EPU and ground objects. More on the ground objects later.
Options – Contains four sub-tabs. It allows you to control visual appearance and pop-ups for each instrument. If you have a Navigraph subscription, it also enables integration of Navigraph charts into SkyView. Additionally, it allows configuration of electrical reliability and enables a steerable nosewheel. This is not true to life, but it does make ground handling easier.
Sounds – Replicates the sound panel in X-Plane settings.
About – Contains the copyright statement and credits the incredible team involved in creating this aircraft.





External Walk-around
As always with Aerobask, the aircraft is visually superb. They have made extensive use of 4K textures and PBR to craft a model that looks real inside and out. Peering into the air intakes, there is a detailed representation of the engine. Little details, like the disc brakes, are faithfully reproduced.

The aircraft’s skin is beautifully rendered, with rivets and bolts clearly visible. There are even minor blemishes in the carbon fibre, giving the impression of an aircraft that is well used but well cared for. The attention to detail in the operation of the ailerons and flaps is superb, with the actuators accurately reproduced and animated. Under the empennage, there is a skid to protect the aircraft body in the event of over-rotation, and the elevator trim is fully animated. It’s a shame there are no openable panels to let you inspect the engine or check fuel levels visually, but these are minor points in an otherwise exceptional model.







In the Cockpit – Skunkcrafts SkyView
This excellent representation of the Dynon SkyView glass cockpit is also used by Aerobask in their Shark XL model. Given the VFR-only status of the aircraft, it represents a level of complexity beyond real-world requirements, but it provides a very usable introduction to flying and navigating under Instrument Flight Rules, albeit not legally in IMC conditions.

One of my constant challenges with other glass cockpits in X-Plane has been the difficulty of operating the controls, particularly the knobs, with a mouse. Over the years, this, combined with the fact that I learned to fly using an old-school six-pack panel, has rather put me off trying to use glass panels in the simulator. Skunkcrafts (and I guess Dynon should take some credit too) have addressed both of these issues. Their implementation of the SkyView PFD (Primary Flight Display) is a revelation. Firstly, you can configure it as a six-pack panel rather than an integrated display, and secondly, they’ve solved the problem of operating the panel.

The SkyView itself is touch-enabled, which naturally makes things easier, but Skunkcrafts have also introduced a neat feature that allows you to control settings like barometric pressure and the heading bug using either a number panel or simply by scrolling your mouse wheel. This is much easier to do than it is to explain, and it has completely transformed my experience of glass panel flying in X-Plane.

A quick look at the dataref settings reveals a large number of specialised datarefs, which could be used to create a physical cockpit connected to the SkyView panels using Air Manager or similar hardware integration tools. My only criticism of the SkyView is the lack of detailed documentation. Dynon have produced a series of online training courses for the real product, which are quite helpful, but it’s worth bearing in mind there are some differences between their system and the Skunkcrafts version. The good news is that there’s more detail on the SkyView panels in Stephen’s excellent review here: Aircraft Review: Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask.

To get flying, you really only need a basic understanding of the PFD, and thankfully it’s relatively straightforward. While I initially planned to include a full menu breakdown, I found it’s actually easier to explore the system for yourself. It’s intuitive, and for anyone wanting to go deeper, Stephen’s review and Dynon’s documentation are great places to start.

A manual for the real Dynon SkyView system can be found here:

https://manualmachine.com/dynonavionics/skyviewpilots/1435474-user-manual

Please note this isn’t the manual for the Skunkcrafts version, but I found it helpful when learning the basics.





Ground Handling
With its castoring nosewheel, I expected the aircraft to be a challenge on the ground, but it really wasn’t. I’m not sure what Aerobask have done, but I found manoeuvring the DA20 much easier than with other aircraft like the stock SR22 and RV10 models. As mentioned earlier, the option to enable a steerable nosewheel is included for those who prefer it. The aircraft is quite slippery, so you do have to watch your speed while taxiing.





Flying the DA20 SV
Take-off: With a single notch of flap, progressively applying full power requires a fair amount of right rudder to keep the nose straight. The DA20 lifts off between 50 and 60 knots and, on full power, will settle at 70 knots with a climb rate exceeding 1,000 fpm. Crosswind take-offs are straightforward. As always, a bit of into-wind aileron is required to stop the wind-side wing from lifting early, but the well-coordinated and responsive controls make it a joy.







General Handling: I learnt to fly back in the late 1980s on Cessna 150s, but the flying school also had a Slingsby Firefly (also of composite construction), and we each got one flight in it. Flying the Firefly was a joy compared to the Cessna. It was responsive and light to the touch in ways the 150 could never be. This DA20 reminds me very much of the Slingsby, with its smooth and precise controls. I usually have problems with trim in the simulator, but getting the DA20 trimmed for level flight is very easy. Maximum cruise is 117 knots, making it marginally faster than a Cessna C150/152. In smooth air, you could theoretically reach up to 150 knots, though I’m not sure the engine would actually pull the aircraft in a straight line at that speed.







Stall and Spin Awareness: It’s in the stall that this model really comes to life. The wings of the DA20 have washout, meaning the stall begins at the wing root and spreads slowly outward as speed decreases. Stall occurs between 45 and 40 knots depending on conditions and is preceded by an increasingly strident stall warning horn and very realistic buffet. When the stall finally arrived, I experienced a fairly pronounced left-wing drop. The real-world documentation states that this shouldn’t happen, so more than likely it was down to my ham-fisted handling rather than a flaw in the aircraft itself. Slow flight into and out of the incipient stall is a fascinating exercise, made easier once again by the extraordinary precision of the controls.





Landing: A successful landing requires the courage to fly as slowly as the manual instructs. Approach at 55 knots, wheels down at 45, feels almost stationary after cruising at 117 knots. Come in too fast and you’ll float… and float… and float. From circuit height in relatively calm conditions, I’ve found that the throttle can safely be closed as you turn base. In windier conditions, you do need a bit of throttle to get the aircraft over the threshold. I went with the first notch of flap on base leg, and the final notch after turning final. The target is to trigger the stall warning just before touchdown. This is harder than it sounds, but well worth the effort.







Sound
Sound in X-Plane 12 is one of its greatest assets, and Aerobask have really stretched the boundaries of what’s possible. The sound on this aircraft is nothing short of astonishing. Every control and switch appears to have its own distinct sound, and both the interior and exterior soundscapes are beautifully modelled. With an external view, I even caught the whoosh of wind as the aircraft passed close by.

Night Lighting
The Aerobask DA20 is equipped with the usual complement of lights: position, strobe, taxi, and landing. It’s also possible to set the landing and taxi lights to “pulse”, flashing alternately to make the aircraft more visible. There’s a map light inside the cockpit as well, allowing the pilot to see what they’re doing. The aircraft really comes to life at night. Light sources around it are perfectly reflected, and the overall lighting looks truly realistic both inside and out. I’ve been particularly impressed by the view of the interior lights from outside the aircraft. The map light works perfectly, and the effect of the instrument dimmer switch is clearly visible.







Performance
The use of 4K textures and PBR does mean this aircraft places more demands on your computer than less detailed models. You really do need the 8GB of memory in your graphics card that Aerobask recommend. That said, my PC is not a top-end machine, and I’ve had no issues.







Conclusion
Given my previous experiences with Aerobask products, I’m not surprised by the quality of the DA20 SV. There’s a lot to love about it: the SkyView glass cockpit, the stunning visual quality, the night lighting, and the attention to detail. But to be honest, it’s the flight model, especially its behaviour at slow speeds and in the stall, that really sold it to me.

If, like me, you love flying low and slow in VFR on X-Plane, then this add-on is a must-have.

____________________________________________



Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask is available from the Org store here:

Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask
Priced at US$34.95

Features:
Aerobask quality 3D model
High quality mesh 3D cockpit
High resolution PBR textures (4K)
Fully functional virtual 3D cockpit
Smoothly animated manipulators
ground objects and external battery
Accurate flight model
Flight model by X-Aerodynamics
Accurate behavior and performance in all flight phases
Tested (and approved) by real-life pilot Claus
Custom dual Dynon Skyview Touch, replacing the original avionics:
Touchscreen everything
Choice of modern or 6-pack instrument display
Configurable screens (PFD/EIS/MAP)
Synthetic Vision by OscarPilot
Live METAR and TAF
Navigraph charts (with Subscription)
Scrollable moving map
Select navaid/fix/airport directly from click on map
resizeable popups and popout, with or without bezel
More custom-made original instruments:
SV-AP-PANEL autopilot control panel
ESI-500 Standby Instrument from L3Harris®
RP3 trim indicator from The Ray Allen Company
Third party integration:
default Laminar GNS530 integration
automatic integration of RXP GNT750 (Windows only, needs separate license)
automatic integration of TDS GTNXi Pro (Windows only, needs separate license)
tablet with Avitab integration alongside with our options panel
High quality sounds:
Full FMOD environment by Daniela Rodriguez Careri
Accurate doppler, distance attenuation and flyby effects.
Simulated headset
Liveries:
6 UHD 4K liveries out of the box
White livery (for painters)
Other:
Windshield effects: reflections, rain and frost.
Many parameters saved between flights.
Configurable pilot.
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac (even native M1, M2 Macs) or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM recommended
Current version: 12.0r2 (January 9th 2024)

Reviewers System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
Memory: 32.0 GB
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

Aircraft Review by Colin Parker
29th March 2025
Copyright©2024: 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) 


Aircraft Review: Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask - Second Opinion



By Colin Parker

Introduction
The Diamond DA20 C1 is an Austrian-designed, two-seat, single-engine light aircraft intended for general aviation. Developed by Diamond Aircraft and based on their successful Dimona motor glider, it was first introduced in 1992. It features a composite airframe, tricycle landing gear, low-wing configuration, a T-tail, and a castoring nosewheel. It is widely used in flight schools due to its reliability and cost-effectiveness.

The US Air Force has used the DV20 (a Canadian-built variant of the DA20) in its initial pilot selection programme since 2002. There have been a number of different variants with different powerplants. This version features the Continental IO-240-B3B engine, and Aerobask have designated it the DA20 SV due to its inclusion of the excellent Skunkcrafts Dynon SkyView glass cockpit.

The DA20’s composite construction is a relative rarity among trainers. However, like Grob with their 115 and Slingsby with the Firefly, Diamond have drawn on their glider production heritage to create a good-looking and easy-to-fly aircraft. Although this DA20 includes instrumentation and avionics suitable for flight under instrument flight rules (IFR), its plastic airframe lacks lightning protection and therefore does not qualify for IFR certification. Additionally, the GPS fitted to the aircraft is not certified for instrument navigation.

Installation and Documentation
It’s important to note that the DA20 is only compatible with X-Plane 12.1.2 and above. If you haven’t upgraded to at least this version, it won’t work. After purchasing, you’ll be able to download the aircraft as a zip file. Once downloaded, extract the Diamond DA20SV folder into: X-Plane 12\Aircraft\Extra Aircraft\

The zip file is 295MB, expanding to 700MB when uncompressed. The first time you load the add-on, and again if you receive an update, you’ll need to enter the serial number provided by Aerobask and restart. You can either restart the entire simulator, or if you're comfortable doing so, simply reload the aircraft from the Developer menu.

There are four PDFs in the Documents folder:
Pilot Operating Handbook (POH)
Checklist – Normal Operations
Checklist – Emergencies
Aircraft Installation
All four documents are well laid out and provide just the information a flight sim enthusiast needs. If I had one criticism, it’s that the POH is a little light on documentation for the SkyView panel, offering only a link to an unnarrated video by Skunkcrafts.

Aerobask Configuration Panel
As with other recent Aerobask models, the DA20 introduces a new menu item in X-Plane that provides access to an aircraft configuration panel.

The panel has four tabs:
Ground – Allows you to choose the livery, set the crew model (male or female pilot), and choose whether the co-pilot is visible. It also lets you set the fuel level and configure external components, such as the external EPU and ground objects. More on the ground objects later.
Options – Contains four sub-tabs. It allows you to control visual appearance and pop-ups for each instrument. If you have a Navigraph subscription, it also enables integration of Navigraph charts into SkyView. Additionally, it allows configuration of electrical reliability and enables a steerable nosewheel. This is not true to life, but it does make ground handling easier.
Sounds – Replicates the sound panel in X-Plane settings.
About – Contains the copyright statement and credits the incredible team involved in creating this aircraft.





External Walk-around
As always with Aerobask, the aircraft is visually superb. They have made extensive use of 4K textures and PBR to craft a model that looks real inside and out. Peering into the air intakes, there is a detailed representation of the engine. Little details, like the disc brakes, are faithfully reproduced.

The aircraft’s skin is beautifully rendered, with rivets and bolts clearly visible. There are even minor blemishes in the carbon fibre, giving the impression of an aircraft that is well used but well cared for. The attention to detail in the operation of the ailerons and flaps is superb, with the actuators accurately reproduced and animated. Under the empennage, there is a skid to protect the aircraft body in the event of over-rotation, and the elevator trim is fully animated. It’s a shame there are no openable panels to let you inspect the engine or check fuel levels visually, but these are minor points in an otherwise exceptional model.







In the Cockpit – Skunkcrafts SkyView
This excellent representation of the Dynon SkyView glass cockpit is also used by Aerobask in their Shark XL model. Given the VFR-only status of the aircraft, it represents a level of complexity beyond real-world requirements, but it provides a very usable introduction to flying and navigating under Instrument Flight Rules, albeit not legally in IMC conditions.

One of my constant challenges with other glass cockpits in X-Plane has been the difficulty of operating the controls, particularly the knobs, with a mouse. Over the years, this, combined with the fact that I learned to fly using an old-school six-pack panel, has rather put me off trying to use glass panels in the simulator. Skunkcrafts (and I guess Dynon should take some credit too) have addressed both of these issues. Their implementation of the SkyView PFD (Primary Flight Display) is a revelation. Firstly, you can configure it as a six-pack panel rather than an integrated display, and secondly, they’ve solved the problem of operating the panel.

The SkyView itself is touch-enabled, which naturally makes things easier, but Skunkcrafts have also introduced a neat feature that allows you to control settings like barometric pressure and the heading bug using either a number panel or simply by scrolling your mouse wheel. This is much easier to do than it is to explain, and it has completely transformed my experience of glass panel flying in X-Plane.

A quick look at the dataref settings reveals a large number of specialised datarefs, which could be used to create a physical cockpit connected to the SkyView panels using Air Manager or similar hardware integration tools. My only criticism of the SkyView is the lack of detailed documentation. Dynon have produced a series of online training courses for the real product, which are quite helpful, but it’s worth bearing in mind there are some differences between their system and the Skunkcrafts version. The good news is that there’s more detail on the SkyView panels in Stephen’s excellent review here: Aircraft Review: Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask.

To get flying, you really only need a basic understanding of the PFD, and thankfully it’s relatively straightforward. While I initially planned to include a full menu breakdown, I found it’s actually easier to explore the system for yourself. It’s intuitive, and for anyone wanting to go deeper, Stephen’s review and Dynon’s documentation are great places to start.

A manual for the real Dynon SkyView system can be found here:

https://manualmachine.com/dynonavionics/skyviewpilots/1435474-user-manual

Please note this isn’t the manual for the Skunkcrafts version, but I found it helpful when learning the basics.





Ground Handling
With its castoring nosewheel, I expected the aircraft to be a challenge on the ground, but it really wasn’t. I’m not sure what Aerobask have done, but I found manoeuvring the DA20 much easier than with other aircraft like the stock SR22 and RV10 models. As mentioned earlier, the option to enable a steerable nosewheel is included for those who prefer it. The aircraft is quite slippery, so you do have to watch your speed while taxiing.





Flying the DA20 SV
Take-off: With a single notch of flap, progressively applying full power requires a fair amount of right rudder to keep the nose straight. The DA20 lifts off between 50 and 60 knots and, on full power, will settle at 70 knots with a climb rate exceeding 1,000 fpm. Crosswind take-offs are straightforward. As always, a bit of into-wind aileron is required to stop the wind-side wing from lifting early, but the well-coordinated and responsive controls make it a joy.







General Handling: I learnt to fly back in the late 1980s on Cessna 150s, but the flying school also had a Slingsby Firefly (also of composite construction), and we each got one flight in it. Flying the Firefly was a joy compared to the Cessna. It was responsive and light to the touch in ways the 150 could never be. This DA20 reminds me very much of the Slingsby, with its smooth and precise controls. I usually have problems with trim in the simulator, but getting the DA20 trimmed for level flight is very easy. Maximum cruise is 117 knots, making it marginally faster than a Cessna C150/152. In smooth air, you could theoretically reach up to 150 knots, though I’m not sure the engine would actually pull the aircraft in a straight line at that speed.







Stall and Spin Awareness: It’s in the stall that this model really comes to life. The wings of the DA20 have washout, meaning the stall begins at the wing root and spreads slowly outward as speed decreases. Stall occurs between 45 and 40 knots depending on conditions and is preceded by an increasingly strident stall warning horn and very realistic buffet. When the stall finally arrived, I experienced a fairly pronounced left-wing drop. The real-world documentation states that this shouldn’t happen, so more than likely it was down to my ham-fisted handling rather than a flaw in the aircraft itself. Slow flight into and out of the incipient stall is a fascinating exercise, made easier once again by the extraordinary precision of the controls.





Landing: A successful landing requires the courage to fly as slowly as the manual instructs. Approach at 55 knots, wheels down at 45, feels almost stationary after cruising at 117 knots. Come in too fast and you’ll float… and float… and float. From circuit height in relatively calm conditions, I’ve found that the throttle can safely be closed as you turn base. In windier conditions, you do need a bit of throttle to get the aircraft over the threshold. I went with the first notch of flap on base leg, and the final notch after turning final. The target is to trigger the stall warning just before touchdown. This is harder than it sounds, but well worth the effort.







Sound
Sound in X-Plane 12 is one of its greatest assets, and Aerobask have really stretched the boundaries of what’s possible. The sound on this aircraft is nothing short of astonishing. Every control and switch appears to have its own distinct sound, and both the interior and exterior soundscapes are beautifully modelled. With an external view, I even caught the whoosh of wind as the aircraft passed close by.

Night Lighting
The Aerobask DA20 is equipped with the usual complement of lights: position, strobe, taxi, and landing. It’s also possible to set the landing and taxi lights to “pulse”, flashing alternately to make the aircraft more visible. There’s a map light inside the cockpit as well, allowing the pilot to see what they’re doing. The aircraft really comes to life at night. Light sources around it are perfectly reflected, and the overall lighting looks truly realistic both inside and out. I’ve been particularly impressed by the view of the interior lights from outside the aircraft. The map light works perfectly, and the effect of the instrument dimmer switch is clearly visible.







Performance
The use of 4K textures and PBR does mean this aircraft places more demands on your computer than less detailed models. You really do need the 8GB of memory in your graphics card that Aerobask recommend. That said, my PC is not a top-end machine, and I’ve had no issues.







Conclusion
Given my previous experiences with Aerobask products, I’m not surprised by the quality of the DA20 SV. There’s a lot to love about it: the SkyView glass cockpit, the stunning visual quality, the night lighting, and the attention to detail. But to be honest, it’s the flight model, especially its behaviour at slow speeds and in the stall, that really sold it to me.

If, like me, you love flying low and slow in VFR on X-Plane, then this add-on is a must-have.

____________________________________________



Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask is available from the Org store here:

Diamond DA20 SV by Aerobask
Priced at US$34.95

Features:
Aerobask quality 3D model
High quality mesh 3D cockpit
High resolution PBR textures (4K)
Fully functional virtual 3D cockpit
Smoothly animated manipulators
ground objects and external battery
Accurate flight model
Flight model by X-Aerodynamics
Accurate behavior and performance in all flight phases
Tested (and approved) by real-life pilot Claus
Custom dual Dynon Skyview Touch, replacing the original avionics:
Touchscreen everything
Choice of modern or 6-pack instrument display
Configurable screens (PFD/EIS/MAP)
Synthetic Vision by OscarPilot
Live METAR and TAF
Navigraph charts (with Subscription)
Scrollable moving map
Select navaid/fix/airport directly from click on map
resizeable popups and popout, with or without bezel
More custom-made original instruments:
SV-AP-PANEL autopilot control panel
ESI-500 Standby Instrument from L3Harris®
RP3 trim indicator from The Ray Allen Company
Third party integration:
default Laminar GNS530 integration
automatic integration of RXP GNT750 (Windows only, needs separate license)
automatic integration of TDS GTNXi Pro (Windows only, needs separate license)
tablet with Avitab integration alongside with our options panel
High quality sounds:
Full FMOD environment by Daniela Rodriguez Careri
Accurate doppler, distance attenuation and flyby effects.
Simulated headset
Liveries:
6 UHD 4K liveries out of the box
White livery (for painters)
Other:
Windshield effects: reflections, rain and frost.
Many parameters saved between flights.
Configurable pilot.
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac (even native M1, M2 Macs) or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM recommended
Current version: 12.0r2 (January 9th 2024)

Reviewers System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
Memory: 32.0 GB
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060

Aircraft Review by Colin Parker
29th March 2025
Copyright©2024: 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) 


In Cami's careful hands the South Pacific has never looked, but importantly, felt, better. The warmth and charm of the Islands is captured and worked into every considered detail. Thanks Cami for this shimmering Pacific jewel.

Scenery Review: NSFA - Faleolo Intl. Airport - Samoa by Cami De Bellis




By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Who hasn’t dreamed of a tropical vacation with white sand beaches, swaying palm trees, and exotic scenery? I know I have. Now, thanks to Cami De Bellis, we have a gateway to that tropical paradise with Faleolo International Airport in beautiful Samoa.

Cami De Bellis has created a stunning new version of Faleolo International, from the updated runway to the breathtaking modern terminal. With over 9,000 feet of well-maintained runway, the airport can accommodate everything from large passenger jets to light GA aircraft and helicopters. It’s the perfect launching point to explore the Pearl of the Pacific. The airport also serves six airlines with connections to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and American Samoa.




Installation
The compressed file is a little over 1.3 GB in size once downloaded from the Org Store. The folder contains two files: NSFA Faleolo International Airport and NSFA Faleolo Terrain. The terrain folder is important, as this airport is not on flat ground. The parking lot for the main terminal is terraced, and this file corrects the ground levels in X-Plane. To install, simply download the files and place them in your Custom Scenery folder. It’s as simple as that.

Documentation
Inside the NSFA Faleolo International Airport folder, you’ll find an RTF file containing the documentation. It’s six pages long and provides installation instructions, along with tips for getting the best performance out of the airport. There are also guidelines for users with an Ortho4XP Patch to ensure it doesn’t conflict with the included terrain file. The documentation also includes credits and notes about the included liveries.

Exploration Walkthrough
From high altitude, this scenery package stands out from the surrounding landscape. This isn’t the fault of the creator but rather a quirk of how Laminar Studios handled vegetation. While Cami uses native South Pacific plant life in her airports, for some reason, Laminar decided to make Samoa look like Northern Idaho. The forests surrounding the airport are filled with pine trees, which feel out of place for an island in the South Pacific. I spent a year and a half in Hawaii, just a bit to the north, and the only time I saw anything resembling pine trees was at high elevations, not down at sea level where this airport is located. The result is that the airport contrasts sharply with its surroundings, but that’s down to Laminar’s autogen, not Cami’s work.







Runway and Taxiways
Faleolo International has only one runway, and from the look of it on Google Earth, it appears to be very well maintained. Cami has captured this perfectly, with a pristine runway, brand-new taxiways, and well-marked ramps. The markings are crisp, with no mismatched or off-center lines. Some of the pavement is represented by ortho photos, but only in areas where aircraft aren’t supposed to go. This means you won’t run into any issues with trying to overpower your aircraft as if you were on grass. Taxiway access is limited, with only a few connections to the main ramp in front of the terminal. To access the runway, especially from the executive terminal, you’ll need to back taxi. And be prepared to wait. If you have AI planes enabled, traffic control can get a bit chaotic at times.







Ground Textures and Foliage
For the ground textures, Cami has used ortho photos, and while I’m not usually a fan of orthos, she has done the hard work of eliminating many of the 2D objects and unwanted shadows that can ruin an ortho photo. This isn’t an easy task, as I’ve learned from experimenting with other airports.



When it comes to foliage, Cami shines by using native plants and trees. Anyone familiar with the CDB Library will know she has the local flora nailed down perfectly. Now, if only Laminar Research could do the same. I mean, come on, pine trees at sea level in Samoa? Like I said, that’s on Laminar, not on Cami. She knows her South Pacific islands.







Signage and Navigation Aids
If you’re looking for signage, this airport has plenty. Taxi signs are accurate, well-placed, and highly visible. Billboards are everywhere, and they match up perfectly with Google Earth Street View. As if that weren’t enough, the terminal buildings are covered in signage. I could spend hours just reading them all.







As for navigation aids, there is a VOR transmitter located on the field, and when I tune it in, the instruments point right at it. That’s the limit of my IFR training, I’m afraid. As a helicopter and light GA pilot, I don’t usually rely on nav aids to find my way around, but I suspect those trained in IFR will have no trouble locating this airport.



Main Airport Buildings and Interiors
One feature that really stands out is the main terminal. Its unique architecture has been captured splendidly by Cami, and it includes a fully modelled interior as well as exterior details.







Many of the hangars are fully open, revealing aircraft under maintenance, spare parts, and supplies. Signs are scattered throughout, and even a few people are placed inside, giving them a lived-in feel. Most hangars, the new VIP terminal, the control tower, fire stations, and auxiliary buildings also include interior details, making the airport feel immersive and realistic.







Ground Clutter and 3D People
Ground clutter is everywhere at this airport, from ramp equipment and vehicles to broken airplanes and the usual assortment of cones, barriers, signage, and moving traffic. But what really makes the airport come alive are the people. Anyone familiar with the CDB Library will recognize plenty of familiar faces here. Cami has not only used many of her signature "Peeps" from the library but has also added new characters specific to Samoa, dressed in traditional outfits. In my humble opinion, it’s the people that truly make an airport feel like a living space, and Cami De Bellis provides some of the best 3D people available in X-Plane.







Surrounding Area
The airport sits right on the coast at just 58 feet above sea level. Google Earth shows lush tropical rainforest to the north of the field, but for some reason, X-Plane’s autogen has rendered a pine forest instead. The capital city of Apia is about twenty-five miles to the east. A terrain mesh is included in the package, accurately rendering the airport’s unique topography, including the subtly terraced parking lot in front of the terminal. One notable feature near the airport is a large solar panel array. This is the only spot in the scenery where the ortho remains purely 2D, without 3D objects placed over it.



Night Lighting
Night lighting is very well executed, with most buildings featuring lit interiors. The lighting is subtle and not too harsh, and service vehicles moving around the ramps have active lights. The main terminal building has the most lighting, with illuminated ramps and interior spaces, making it stand out from the surrounding area. Runway and taxiway lighting is also well done, providing a realistic effect without being overdone.







Performance
Considering the size of the package and level of detail, I expected a slight hit on frame rates, but surprisingly, I didn’t notice any. Every flight has been smooth, with frame rates in the mid to upper 30s or better. This is despite the fact that many object textures are in 4K resolution and the scenery includes over 130 custom objects. I believe anyone with a midrange computer should be able to achieve decent frame rates and a smooth experience at this airport.

Conclusion
I’d give this airport ten stars if the rating system went that high. At just $17.60, it’s worth every penny, and you’ll get more than your money’s worth.
It’s a rich, vibrant airport full of detail, with unique architecture and plenty of character. I’d call this a must-have for anyone who loves South Pacific culture or is a fan of Cami De Bellis. She’s really outdone herself, and this airport shines.

______________________________________



NSFA - Faleolo Intl. Airport - Samoa by Cami De Bellis is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

NSFA - Faleolo Intl. Airport
Priced at $17.60

Features
Ultra-detailed scenery for NSFA – Faleolo International Airport
Over 130 custom objects with ambient occlusion
Terrain mesh enhancements to smooth bumps and accurately reflect the airport's topography
Adjusted XP12 default mesh for the airport area by Maps2XPlane (Ortho4XP patch included)
Photorealistic textures on buildings, vehicles, trees, and more
Ground textures based on high-resolution 90cm satellite imagery
Detailed airport objects and GSE vehicles
Custom textured taxiways, runways, and apron
New Regional (Domestic) Terminal recently opened
New VIP Terminal
Custom surrounding buildings and high-definition airport lighting
High-res textures for buildings in 2K and 4K
Stunning night effects
WT3 compatibility
Native characters designed specifically for the airport
Active ground traffic
Requirements
X-Plane 12
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 1.3 GB
Version 1.0 (Feb 5th 2025)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11
__________________________________
Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
21st March 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Scenery Review: NSFA - Faleolo Intl. Airport - Samoa by Cami De Bellis




By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Who hasn’t dreamed of a tropical vacation with white sand beaches, swaying palm trees, and exotic scenery? I know I have. Now, thanks to Cami De Bellis, we have a gateway to that tropical paradise with Faleolo International Airport in beautiful Samoa.

Cami De Bellis has created a stunning new version of Faleolo International, from the updated runway to the breathtaking modern terminal. With over 9,000 feet of well-maintained runway, the airport can accommodate everything from large passenger jets to light GA aircraft and helicopters. It’s the perfect launching point to explore the Pearl of the Pacific. The airport also serves six airlines with connections to Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, and American Samoa.




Installation
The compressed file is a little over 1.3 GB in size once downloaded from the Org Store. The folder contains two files: NSFA Faleolo International Airport and NSFA Faleolo Terrain. The terrain folder is important, as this airport is not on flat ground. The parking lot for the main terminal is terraced, and this file corrects the ground levels in X-Plane. To install, simply download the files and place them in your Custom Scenery folder. It’s as simple as that.

Documentation
Inside the NSFA Faleolo International Airport folder, you’ll find an RTF file containing the documentation. It’s six pages long and provides installation instructions, along with tips for getting the best performance out of the airport. There are also guidelines for users with an Ortho4XP Patch to ensure it doesn’t conflict with the included terrain file. The documentation also includes credits and notes about the included liveries.

Exploration Walkthrough
From high altitude, this scenery package stands out from the surrounding landscape. This isn’t the fault of the creator but rather a quirk of how Laminar Studios handled vegetation. While Cami uses native South Pacific plant life in her airports, for some reason, Laminar decided to make Samoa look like Northern Idaho. The forests surrounding the airport are filled with pine trees, which feel out of place for an island in the South Pacific. I spent a year and a half in Hawaii, just a bit to the north, and the only time I saw anything resembling pine trees was at high elevations, not down at sea level where this airport is located. The result is that the airport contrasts sharply with its surroundings, but that’s down to Laminar’s autogen, not Cami’s work.







Runway and Taxiways
Faleolo International has only one runway, and from the look of it on Google Earth, it appears to be very well maintained. Cami has captured this perfectly, with a pristine runway, brand-new taxiways, and well-marked ramps. The markings are crisp, with no mismatched or off-center lines. Some of the pavement is represented by ortho photos, but only in areas where aircraft aren’t supposed to go. This means you won’t run into any issues with trying to overpower your aircraft as if you were on grass. Taxiway access is limited, with only a few connections to the main ramp in front of the terminal. To access the runway, especially from the executive terminal, you’ll need to back taxi. And be prepared to wait. If you have AI planes enabled, traffic control can get a bit chaotic at times.







Ground Textures and Foliage
For the ground textures, Cami has used ortho photos, and while I’m not usually a fan of orthos, she has done the hard work of eliminating many of the 2D objects and unwanted shadows that can ruin an ortho photo. This isn’t an easy task, as I’ve learned from experimenting with other airports.



When it comes to foliage, Cami shines by using native plants and trees. Anyone familiar with the CDB Library will know she has the local flora nailed down perfectly. Now, if only Laminar Research could do the same. I mean, come on, pine trees at sea level in Samoa? Like I said, that’s on Laminar, not on Cami. She knows her South Pacific islands.







Signage and Navigation Aids
If you’re looking for signage, this airport has plenty. Taxi signs are accurate, well-placed, and highly visible. Billboards are everywhere, and they match up perfectly with Google Earth Street View. As if that weren’t enough, the terminal buildings are covered in signage. I could spend hours just reading them all.







As for navigation aids, there is a VOR transmitter located on the field, and when I tune it in, the instruments point right at it. That’s the limit of my IFR training, I’m afraid. As a helicopter and light GA pilot, I don’t usually rely on nav aids to find my way around, but I suspect those trained in IFR will have no trouble locating this airport.



Main Airport Buildings and Interiors
One feature that really stands out is the main terminal. Its unique architecture has been captured splendidly by Cami, and it includes a fully modelled interior as well as exterior details.







Many of the hangars are fully open, revealing aircraft under maintenance, spare parts, and supplies. Signs are scattered throughout, and even a few people are placed inside, giving them a lived-in feel. Most hangars, the new VIP terminal, the control tower, fire stations, and auxiliary buildings also include interior details, making the airport feel immersive and realistic.







Ground Clutter and 3D People
Ground clutter is everywhere at this airport, from ramp equipment and vehicles to broken airplanes and the usual assortment of cones, barriers, signage, and moving traffic. But what really makes the airport come alive are the people. Anyone familiar with the CDB Library will recognize plenty of familiar faces here. Cami has not only used many of her signature "Peeps" from the library but has also added new characters specific to Samoa, dressed in traditional outfits. In my humble opinion, it’s the people that truly make an airport feel like a living space, and Cami De Bellis provides some of the best 3D people available in X-Plane.







Surrounding Area
The airport sits right on the coast at just 58 feet above sea level. Google Earth shows lush tropical rainforest to the north of the field, but for some reason, X-Plane’s autogen has rendered a pine forest instead. The capital city of Apia is about twenty-five miles to the east. A terrain mesh is included in the package, accurately rendering the airport’s unique topography, including the subtly terraced parking lot in front of the terminal. One notable feature near the airport is a large solar panel array. This is the only spot in the scenery where the ortho remains purely 2D, without 3D objects placed over it.



Night Lighting
Night lighting is very well executed, with most buildings featuring lit interiors. The lighting is subtle and not too harsh, and service vehicles moving around the ramps have active lights. The main terminal building has the most lighting, with illuminated ramps and interior spaces, making it stand out from the surrounding area. Runway and taxiway lighting is also well done, providing a realistic effect without being overdone.







Performance
Considering the size of the package and level of detail, I expected a slight hit on frame rates, but surprisingly, I didn’t notice any. Every flight has been smooth, with frame rates in the mid to upper 30s or better. This is despite the fact that many object textures are in 4K resolution and the scenery includes over 130 custom objects. I believe anyone with a midrange computer should be able to achieve decent frame rates and a smooth experience at this airport.

Conclusion
I’d give this airport ten stars if the rating system went that high. At just $17.60, it’s worth every penny, and you’ll get more than your money’s worth.
It’s a rich, vibrant airport full of detail, with unique architecture and plenty of character. I’d call this a must-have for anyone who loves South Pacific culture or is a fan of Cami De Bellis. She’s really outdone herself, and this airport shines.

______________________________________



NSFA - Faleolo Intl. Airport - Samoa by Cami De Bellis is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

NSFA - Faleolo Intl. Airport
Priced at $17.60

Features
Ultra-detailed scenery for NSFA – Faleolo International Airport
Over 130 custom objects with ambient occlusion
Terrain mesh enhancements to smooth bumps and accurately reflect the airport's topography
Adjusted XP12 default mesh for the airport area by Maps2XPlane (Ortho4XP patch included)
Photorealistic textures on buildings, vehicles, trees, and more
Ground textures based on high-resolution 90cm satellite imagery
Detailed airport objects and GSE vehicles
Custom textured taxiways, runways, and apron
New Regional (Domestic) Terminal recently opened
New VIP Terminal
Custom surrounding buildings and high-definition airport lighting
High-res textures for buildings in 2K and 4K
Stunning night effects
WT3 compatibility
Native characters designed specifically for the airport
Active ground traffic
Requirements
X-Plane 12
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 1.3 GB
Version 1.0 (Feb 5th 2025)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11
__________________________________
Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
21st March 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Aircraft Review: Extra 330-350 SC by Vertigo Design




By Michael Hayward

Introduction
The Extra 300 series is a single-seat aerobatic aircraft designed by Extra Flugzeugbau. First manufactured in 1988, it has undergone several iterations and has won multiple aerobatic competitions over the years, including being crowned World Champion Aerobatic Aircraft five times between 2009 and 2016!

Vertigo Design is a small, two-man development team within the X-Plane community, having released a handful of aerobatic planes for the sim, each proving popular in its own right. Their latest update brings the Extra 330 SC to X-Plane 12, along with the introduction of the 350 SC model. For those of you not familiar with the model, the Extra been around for some time as Stephen originally reviewed it way back in 2016. However, things have certainly changed in the X-Plane world since then, so in this review, we’ll take the Extra for a spin, putting it through its paces to see just how close it gets to the real thing.

Aircraft Specification
Crew: 1
Length: 7.01 m (23 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Empty Weight: 677 kg (1,493 lb)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 820 kg (1,808 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A 6-cylinder air-cooled horizontally opposed piston engine
Aircraft Performance
Cruising Speed: 154 kts (252 mph, 406 km/h)
Stall Speed: 60 kts (69 mph, 110 km/h)
g Limits: +10/-10g
Download & Install
After purchasing from the X-Plane.Org Store, you receive two download links, one for X-Plane 11 and another for X-Plane 12. Once you've downloaded the version for your chosen simulator, you'll get a ZIP file containing both the Extra 330 SC and Extra 350 SC. Simply drag and drop these into your X-Plane Aircraft folder, and you're good to go!

Each aircraft folder includes an introduction manual in both English and French. These documents are eight pages long and provide a basic overview of the aircraft, including a labelled cockpit panel map and explanations of key gauges. The manuals are also well-designed and a pleasure to read, so I highly recommend going through them while you load in for the first time! Additionally, there is a 15-page instruction manual that dives deeper into startup, operation, and flight procedures. Acting as a checklist, it walks you through each step of setup and configuration, making it a handy reference for your first few flights.



Note: Due to the complexity of the flight model, it is advisable to set your Flight models per frame to four in X-Plane's General settings menu.

Exterior Model
The Extra is a simple aircraft, but Vertigo has packed in plenty of detail. At the end of each wing is a small frame that acts as a winglet, helping to keep the aircraft stable. The edge of the horizontal stabiliser moves as part of the elevator, and on the belly of the aircraft, you'll find the large engine exhaust and smoke system that traces the aircraft’s path as it flies.







Up close, you can also spot the intake for what is presumably the Pitot tube beneath the canopy, as well as the hinges and locking system that allow the pilot to enter and exit the aircraft. There are also three aerials, one on the roof and two on the belly, enabling communication with the outside world.



Vertigo makes full use of PBR and bump mapping in the add-on, creating fantastic reflections along the aircraft’s body. While the Extra is sleek, with a smooth surface and pointed design, a closer look from different angles reveals tiny panels, dents, and imperfections. While these wouldn’t cause any issues in flight, they add a real sense of life to the aircraft. A great deal of effort has gone into making each surface look as realistic as possible.





Both variants come with ten liveries, including the famous Red Bull colours (both standard and air race schemes), along with several classic racing designs from over the years. Textures are rendered in 4K resolution and look crisp up close, even down to the pilot names on the canopy frame of certain aircraft.











Cockpit and Interior
The Extra 330 and 350 both feature a small, simple cockpit with two layers of steam gauges, a row of switches and circuit breakers in the middle, and three additional rows of gauges forming a triangular layout. On the left-hand side frame, you'll also find the GPS.





Like the exterior, the cockpit textures are rendered in 4K resolution and are crisp and easy to read in flight. The layout is straightforward, with the most important flight instruments: artificial horizon, altimeter, and airspeed indicator, all placed centrally on the main console.





Startup and configuration of the Extra are as simple as they come. To get going, it's just a case of switching on the battery and magnetos. With no flaps and fixed gear, you're set for the duration of your flight. Once you get moving, you’re provided with pop-up digital versions of the steam gauges, giving you a clearer indication of your speed and altitude from within the cockpit. I found this handy when I first started flying the Extra, as it gives you a little more clarity on what the aircraft is doing. Just don’t forget to click on your flight helmet and gloves!





Flight Dynamics
The Extra 330 and 350 are both fast, nimble aircraft and can be incredibly sensitive to even the slightest touch of the stick. I find the 330 to be a tad more responsive, but that doesn’t mean the 350 is any slower. With just a small nudge, you’ll be spinning and flying vertically in no time. The roll, in particular, is especially sensitive, requiring only minimal input to get the aircraft on its side for a quick turn.







One of X-Plane’s greatest strengths is its use of Blade Element Theory to recreate real-world flying dynamics. Vertigo will have made several fine adjustments to the airfoil to ensure the aircraft flies as smoothly as it does in real life. A model like this is where "BET" truly shines, demonstrating just how accurate it can be, especially given the unique flight profile a stunt or race plane requires. The way this aircraft performs in X-Plane’s flight engine is a great showcase of what the platform is capable of.





Vertigo also ran the add-on by Red Bull pilot Lukasz Czepiela and used his feedback to refine the flight model, making it as faithful to the real thing as possible. If it’s been approved by a professional who sits behind the stick in real flight, then I certainly can't question its authenticity. It’s definitely a lot sharper in turns than the microlight aircraft I flew a while back.





On the ground, it can be a little tricky to steer, especially as a taildragger. You sit fairly low in the cockpit, with the engine immediately in front of you, which makes it harder than usual to follow the taxiway line, mainly because you can’t see it. Be aware too that the aircraft doesn’t have flaps or speed brakes, so slowing down can be quite the challenge.





Sound
The Extra comes with its own custom audio, designed to match the sound and feel of flying the real thing. While a little basic in some areas, as it does not use FMOD, the recordings themselves are high quality and sound great in the simulator. Buttons and switches, however, rely on the default X-Plane sound system. All engine sounds have been recorded from a real Lycoming engine and are split between ground and air, with pitch and speed adjusting dynamically based on throttle output. Once airborne and flying a high-speed course, the engine sound adds to the immersion, helping you stay focused as you make small power adjustments to keep the aircraft steady. While slightly lacking in some areas, the audio is more than enough to keep you immersed in the flying experience.

Performance
During my time testing the Extra, I didn’t experience any frame rate issues or lag, which is a real credit to Vertigo Design. Given the level of detail in the model, you might expect some performance impact, especially with Flight models per frame set to four, but it ran smoothly throughout. Of course, how it performs will depend on your system, but in my experience, it ran flawlessly.


Opinion and Closing Remarks
Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time flying the Extra 330 and 350 SC in X-Plane 12. While the audio can feel a little flat in some areas, the model and flight dynamics more than make up for it. The airfoil alone is a work of art and fits beautifully within the X-Plane environment. The aircraft’s sensitivity took some getting used to, but once you get a feel for how it flies, it’s easily one of the best in X-Plane. Up close, the modelling is fantastic, with small details that capture the likeness of the Extra while giving the stunt plane a real sense of life.

Both variants are nimble little aircraft and an absolute blast to fly, especially when skimming close to the ground or following the course of one of X-Plane’s freeware air race add-ons. At $24.99, this add-on is far from the most expensive in X-Plane, but it’s certainly one of the most unique to fly, making it well worth considering for your virtual hangar. If it's good enough for Lukasz Czepiela (professional pilot of the Red Bull Air Race) to use it personally to prepare for races, then it's certainly good enough for me.

_________________________________



Extra 330-350 SC by Vertigo Design is available from the Org store here:

Extra 330-350 SC
Priced at $24.90

Features:
Now includes two models: The Extra 330 SC and the Extra 350 SC
Compatible with both X-Plane 12 and X-Plane 11
PBR textures (for incredible dynamic reflections)
Incredible flight model made for real pilots (already used by a real Red Bull Air Race pilot !)
High quality 3D model
3D visual for damaged structures
Immersive sounds
Realistic pilot animations
High quality liveries and HD textures
Reviewers System:
Windows 10 Professional
AMD Ryzen 5 5900X Processor
32GB RAM
Palit GeForce RTX™ 3080 GamingPro

Aircraft Review by Michael Hayward 
13th March 2025
Copyright©2025: 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) 


Scenery Review: KLAX - Los Angeles International v4.0 by FunnerFlight




By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Welcome to sunny California, land of movie stars and all the glitz and glam that comes with the film industry. Our feature today isn’t just any A-list celebrity; it’s the biggest and busiest international airport on the West Coast and the eighth busiest in the world, handling over 75 million passengers a year.

Los Angeles International Airport, a star of countless movies, TV shows, and songs, has been given the VIP treatment by FunnerFlight for X-Plane 12. With so much detail packed into this scenery, it takes time to take it all in.

Why This Scenery?
For starters, it’s a huge airport that covers 3,500 acres of land with four parallel runways and contains more buildings than I could count, but the designer says there’s something like 35,000 objects, so that’s about a thousand objects per acre.

It has objects both inside and outside the airport boundaries. Inside the airport, you’ll find the famous Theme Building that even people who don’t know much about aviation will immediately recognise from all its TV and movie appearances. Outside, you’ll find the prominent Hyperion Water Treatment Plant and the famous In-N-Out Burger franchise. You’ll also see the row of well-known hotels lining the entrance to the airport, all rendered in great detail. Just don’t try landing your helicopter on the rooftop pads. They don’t support it. The airport fully supports AI aircraft and features working jetways, Laminar Ground Services, and photorealistic textures provided by over 20 square miles of satellite ortho imagery. Let’s take a deep dive into this scenery package and see what FunnerFlight has to offer for one of the busiest and most famous airports in the world.

Installation Process
Once you purchase this scenery package, you’ll download a 774 MB compressed folder. Inside, you’ll find the full airport package along with all the documentation. The installation is straightforward; simply unzip the folder and copy the airport into your custom scenery folder. Once extracted, the airport takes up about 2.33 GB of space. Be sure to check the documentation and use the provided link to download the AutoGate feature so the jetways function as intended. It’s also recommended to use the Global Traffic plugin to exclude traffic from nearby airports, which can help improve frame rates.

Documentation
When it comes to documentation, this package has a lot. Included is a nine-page manual that covers ways to improve frame rates and provides links to the AutoGate feature, which you’ll need to make the gates work. There’s also a Copyright and End User Licence Agreement, a DG Integrator License PDF, a Quick Start Install PDF, and a VFR chart for Los Angeles. The documentation also includes a link to a static and animated aircraft file to help bring some life to the airport. If you don’t install it, you’ll get a notice saying the airport may not display correctly when you start your flight at LAX. The documents are easy to use, intuitive, and will help you get the most out of the airport.



Exploration Walkthrough
I started my exploration from another airport so I’d end up over LAX at altitude. The detail from above is stunning. If you’re looking for the most realistic views of LAX, this is the one. FunnerFlight uses ortho photos, which I’m not a huge fan of, but they’ve done a great job covering the 2D elements with 3D objects, addressing some of my usual objections. Realistically, with an airport the size of LAX, it would take over a year to hand-draw every detail without an ortho set. Even from altitude, you can see that FunnerFlight has the most accurate and detailed control tower and Theme Building of any LAX add-on scenery available. Despite the use of orthos, the scenery blends well with the surrounding autogen, likely thanks to the effort Laminar put into making Southern California look as realistic as possible.





LAX has four parallel runways, and here, they’re well represented and properly marked. It looks like the designer didn’t use the transparent texture for the runways and taxiways, likely because AI aircraft are supported. The ortho photos appear to make up the bulk of the visible textures, but I did notice some mismatched taxi lines, suggesting there are polygons and lines placed over the orthos.





South Sepulveda Boulevard disappears into a tunnel beneath runways 25L and 25R at the southeastern side of the airport. The south end of the road is depicted in 2D, while the north end features a 3D tunnel entrance emerging just south of the LAX sign.



Ground Textures & Foliage
Ground textures are mainly provided by the ortho photos, supplemented by 3D vegetation, including the palm trees that Southern California is famous for, if I can believe all the movies and TV shows from the area. There’s a hefty file in the objects covering several different types of trees and bushes, including palm trees that are marked as Hawaiian palm trees. The Hawaiian trees don’t seem the least bit out of place in LA.







Runway signage, especially the painted markings at the entrances of each runway, are custom objects with default taxiway and runway signage that look like they match up well with the airport diagram.







I can’t really speak to the accuracy of the navigation aids, as I don’t usually fly anything but VFR personally, but they seem to be present here and active. At least when I tuned the VOR station, the needles on my panel turned in the right direction.



Main Airport Buildings
The airport buildings are, I would guess, the part of this package that took the longest to make. There are more buildings in this one airport alone than in all the airports I’ve ever built combined.







There are nine main terminals, ten if you count the West Gates terminal at Tom Bradley International separately. At least seven or was it eight parking garages just inside the horseshoe loop, with more terminals to the west of the main terminals.







Then there are hangars. Lots of hangars. From huge maintenance facilities to smaller cargo and independent hangars. Only a few of the larger airline maintenance hangars have interiors, with the American Airlines building even having an animated door. No other buildings seem to have interiors, not even the terminals.





A prominent feature with a ton of buildings of its own is the central fuel facility, complete with all its tanks, control buildings, and a Los Angeles Fire Department station.



The airport also features a lot of moving vehicles. Fuel trucks, baggage trains, pushback tractors, and assorted airport vehicles are everywhere, constantly in motion. This is a very busy airport for ground vehicles. There’s also ramp equipment of every type imaginable sitting on the ramps.





California car culture is well represented in all the parking lots, with more 3D cars in just one lot than I’ve used in all my scenery packages combined. One thing that’s conspicuously absent, though, is people. Other than the marshallers, there are no passengers to be found. It’s like everyone decided to go to lunch at the same time.



Landmarks and Surroundings
Given its presence in the media, LAX is a landmark all its own, with the Theme Building appearing in countless movies. It’s well represented here, but moving beyond the airport, you’ll find the prominent Hyperion Waste Treatment Plant just southwest of LAX. This is the best and most accurate representation of the plant I’ve seen in any LAX scenery package.



Also included is the famous In-N-Out Burger just off runway 24R. It looks just like the real thing, matching images found online, and it’s a feature shared with another designer’s LAX package. This might be the most famous In-N-Out franchise in X-Plane.



Many warehouses, especially those for air cargo terminals, are scattered around the airport. However, the further you get from the main airport, the more they turn into 2D images on the ortho. There are more warehouses than I could count, along with smaller auxiliary buildings all over the airport.





As if that wasn’t enough, every hotel lining the entrance is also modelled. A word of caution though, the helipads on the roofs of the hotels are not landable.





Night Lighting
Here is where this airport really shines, no pun intended. The night lighting is simply outstanding. The colour-changing poles leading up to the airport entrance, along with the Public Art LAX Gateway pylons, transition smoothly through a spectacular range of colours. The Theme Building and control tower also light up, with the Theme Building changing colours just like the pylons. Ramp lights and parking lot lights are just right, not too bright, not too faded. All the runway, taxiway, and navigation lights are exactly what you’d expect from the world’s eighth busiest airport.







Performance Impact
The designer recommends a computer with at least 8 GB of video memory on your graphics card and a minimum of 16 GB of RAM. However, I would suggest no less than 12 GB of video memory and at least 32 GB of RAM, and even then, you might want to consider adding more.

Flying around the outskirts of the airport, I was getting frame rates in the mid to upper forties. The moment I turned and flew over the airport, it dropped to the mid to upper teens. Some areas, especially around the main terminals, put more strain on memory than others, but overall, you will want as much RAM and the fastest graphics card you can get to keep performance smooth.





Conclusion
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this airport. There aren’t many airports out there that can claim movie star status, and the real one even has a comprehensive website of its own. I spent way too much time just looking up what you can and can’t take on an airliner. (Who knew you could take antlers on a flight?)
FunnerFlight has created one of the most detailed and accurate versions of LAX, the other being from Mister X. It’s certainly a massive improvement over the default version, unless frame rates are your top priority. It’s also ready for Global Traffic, but if you don’t have it, the airport fully supports standard AI traffic, so either way, you’ll find yourself in a very busy airspace.

For the level of detail included, the price is more than reasonable, especially considering that the nearest competitor is almost ten dollars more. At $19.95, it’s hard to beat. I’ll give it four and a half stars, with half a star deducted for how it punished my computer’s memory. And really, where else are you going to hire an A-list movie star for that price?

______________________________________



KLAX - Los Angeles International v4.0 by FunnerFlight is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

KLAX - Los Angeles International v4.0
Priced at $19.95

Features
Airport Hotels, carparks, street lighting, and area warehouses
LAX landscaped entry mound, Departure Level and Overpass system.
Custom Southern California trees and bushes, including various kinds of palm trees.
More complete perimeter scenery for a fuller look.
Over 35,000 objects.
New West Gate Terminal at Tom Bradley Int'l
New Qantas and Delta maintenance hangars
Improved lighting.
Laminar Research Ground Service
New XP12 Auto Jetways at every ramp (shift+g)
Full Main Parking Lots with cars, buses, and trees
Updated roadways
Well known landmarks, namely Hyperion treatment plant and the world
famous In-and-Out Burger
Traffic Global Ready!
Animated Airport
v4.0 now uses Laminar Ground Service, so there is no lack of vehicles to add to the realism
Photo-realistic Scenery Of Airport
Close to 20 sq mi of aerial photography
High-Definition resolution: 30 cm (1 foot)
X-Plane or ortho-texture terminal taxiway option
Requirements
X-Plane 12
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ Video Card recommended
Download size: 775 MB
Current version: 4.0 (November 15th 2024)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11

__________________________________

Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
28th February 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Scenery Review: KLAX - Los Angeles International v4.0 by FunnerFlight




By Dennis Powell

Introduction
Welcome to sunny California, land of movie stars and all the glitz and glam that comes with the film industry. Our feature today isn’t just any A-list celebrity; it’s the biggest and busiest international airport on the West Coast and the eighth busiest in the world, handling over 75 million passengers a year.

Los Angeles International Airport, a star of countless movies, TV shows, and songs, has been given the VIP treatment by FunnerFlight for X-Plane 12. With so much detail packed into this scenery, it takes time to take it all in.

Why This Scenery?
For starters, it’s a huge airport that covers 3,500 acres of land with four parallel runways and contains more buildings than I could count, but the designer says there’s something like 35,000 objects, so that’s about a thousand objects per acre.

It has objects both inside and outside the airport boundaries. Inside the airport, you’ll find the famous Theme Building that even people who don’t know much about aviation will immediately recognise from all its TV and movie appearances. Outside, you’ll find the prominent Hyperion Water Treatment Plant and the famous In-N-Out Burger franchise. You’ll also see the row of well-known hotels lining the entrance to the airport, all rendered in great detail. Just don’t try landing your helicopter on the rooftop pads. They don’t support it. The airport fully supports AI aircraft and features working jetways, Laminar Ground Services, and photorealistic textures provided by over 20 square miles of satellite ortho imagery. Let’s take a deep dive into this scenery package and see what FunnerFlight has to offer for one of the busiest and most famous airports in the world.

Installation Process
Once you purchase this scenery package, you’ll download a 774 MB compressed folder. Inside, you’ll find the full airport package along with all the documentation. The installation is straightforward; simply unzip the folder and copy the airport into your custom scenery folder. Once extracted, the airport takes up about 2.33 GB of space. Be sure to check the documentation and use the provided link to download the AutoGate feature so the jetways function as intended. It’s also recommended to use the Global Traffic plugin to exclude traffic from nearby airports, which can help improve frame rates.

Documentation
When it comes to documentation, this package has a lot. Included is a nine-page manual that covers ways to improve frame rates and provides links to the AutoGate feature, which you’ll need to make the gates work. There’s also a Copyright and End User Licence Agreement, a DG Integrator License PDF, a Quick Start Install PDF, and a VFR chart for Los Angeles. The documentation also includes a link to a static and animated aircraft file to help bring some life to the airport. If you don’t install it, you’ll get a notice saying the airport may not display correctly when you start your flight at LAX. The documents are easy to use, intuitive, and will help you get the most out of the airport.



Exploration Walkthrough
I started my exploration from another airport so I’d end up over LAX at altitude. The detail from above is stunning. If you’re looking for the most realistic views of LAX, this is the one. FunnerFlight uses ortho photos, which I’m not a huge fan of, but they’ve done a great job covering the 2D elements with 3D objects, addressing some of my usual objections. Realistically, with an airport the size of LAX, it would take over a year to hand-draw every detail without an ortho set. Even from altitude, you can see that FunnerFlight has the most accurate and detailed control tower and Theme Building of any LAX add-on scenery available. Despite the use of orthos, the scenery blends well with the surrounding autogen, likely thanks to the effort Laminar put into making Southern California look as realistic as possible.





LAX has four parallel runways, and here, they’re well represented and properly marked. It looks like the designer didn’t use the transparent texture for the runways and taxiways, likely because AI aircraft are supported. The ortho photos appear to make up the bulk of the visible textures, but I did notice some mismatched taxi lines, suggesting there are polygons and lines placed over the orthos.





South Sepulveda Boulevard disappears into a tunnel beneath runways 25L and 25R at the southeastern side of the airport. The south end of the road is depicted in 2D, while the north end features a 3D tunnel entrance emerging just south of the LAX sign.



Ground Textures & Foliage
Ground textures are mainly provided by the ortho photos, supplemented by 3D vegetation, including the palm trees that Southern California is famous for, if I can believe all the movies and TV shows from the area. There’s a hefty file in the objects covering several different types of trees and bushes, including palm trees that are marked as Hawaiian palm trees. The Hawaiian trees don’t seem the least bit out of place in LA.







Runway signage, especially the painted markings at the entrances of each runway, are custom objects with default taxiway and runway signage that look like they match up well with the airport diagram.







I can’t really speak to the accuracy of the navigation aids, as I don’t usually fly anything but VFR personally, but they seem to be present here and active. At least when I tuned the VOR station, the needles on my panel turned in the right direction.



Main Airport Buildings
The airport buildings are, I would guess, the part of this package that took the longest to make. There are more buildings in this one airport alone than in all the airports I’ve ever built combined.







There are nine main terminals, ten if you count the West Gates terminal at Tom Bradley International separately. At least seven or was it eight parking garages just inside the horseshoe loop, with more terminals to the west of the main terminals.







Then there are hangars. Lots of hangars. From huge maintenance facilities to smaller cargo and independent hangars. Only a few of the larger airline maintenance hangars have interiors, with the American Airlines building even having an animated door. No other buildings seem to have interiors, not even the terminals.





A prominent feature with a ton of buildings of its own is the central fuel facility, complete with all its tanks, control buildings, and a Los Angeles Fire Department station.



The airport also features a lot of moving vehicles. Fuel trucks, baggage trains, pushback tractors, and assorted airport vehicles are everywhere, constantly in motion. This is a very busy airport for ground vehicles. There’s also ramp equipment of every type imaginable sitting on the ramps.





California car culture is well represented in all the parking lots, with more 3D cars in just one lot than I’ve used in all my scenery packages combined. One thing that’s conspicuously absent, though, is people. Other than the marshallers, there are no passengers to be found. It’s like everyone decided to go to lunch at the same time.



Landmarks and Surroundings
Given its presence in the media, LAX is a landmark all its own, with the Theme Building appearing in countless movies. It’s well represented here, but moving beyond the airport, you’ll find the prominent Hyperion Waste Treatment Plant just southwest of LAX. This is the best and most accurate representation of the plant I’ve seen in any LAX scenery package.



Also included is the famous In-N-Out Burger just off runway 24R. It looks just like the real thing, matching images found online, and it’s a feature shared with another designer’s LAX package. This might be the most famous In-N-Out franchise in X-Plane.



Many warehouses, especially those for air cargo terminals, are scattered around the airport. However, the further you get from the main airport, the more they turn into 2D images on the ortho. There are more warehouses than I could count, along with smaller auxiliary buildings all over the airport.





As if that wasn’t enough, every hotel lining the entrance is also modelled. A word of caution though, the helipads on the roofs of the hotels are not landable.





Night Lighting
Here is where this airport really shines, no pun intended. The night lighting is simply outstanding. The colour-changing poles leading up to the airport entrance, along with the Public Art LAX Gateway pylons, transition smoothly through a spectacular range of colours. The Theme Building and control tower also light up, with the Theme Building changing colours just like the pylons. Ramp lights and parking lot lights are just right, not too bright, not too faded. All the runway, taxiway, and navigation lights are exactly what you’d expect from the world’s eighth busiest airport.







Performance Impact
The designer recommends a computer with at least 8 GB of video memory on your graphics card and a minimum of 16 GB of RAM. However, I would suggest no less than 12 GB of video memory and at least 32 GB of RAM, and even then, you might want to consider adding more.

Flying around the outskirts of the airport, I was getting frame rates in the mid to upper forties. The moment I turned and flew over the airport, it dropped to the mid to upper teens. Some areas, especially around the main terminals, put more strain on memory than others, but overall, you will want as much RAM and the fastest graphics card you can get to keep performance smooth.





Conclusion
Overall, I had a lot of fun with this airport. There aren’t many airports out there that can claim movie star status, and the real one even has a comprehensive website of its own. I spent way too much time just looking up what you can and can’t take on an airliner. (Who knew you could take antlers on a flight?)
FunnerFlight has created one of the most detailed and accurate versions of LAX, the other being from Mister X. It’s certainly a massive improvement over the default version, unless frame rates are your top priority. It’s also ready for Global Traffic, but if you don’t have it, the airport fully supports standard AI traffic, so either way, you’ll find yourself in a very busy airspace.

For the level of detail included, the price is more than reasonable, especially considering that the nearest competitor is almost ten dollars more. At $19.95, it’s hard to beat. I’ll give it four and a half stars, with half a star deducted for how it punished my computer’s memory. And really, where else are you going to hire an A-list movie star for that price?

______________________________________



KLAX - Los Angeles International v4.0 by FunnerFlight is now available from the X-Plane.org Store here:

KLAX - Los Angeles International v4.0
Priced at $19.95

Features
Airport Hotels, carparks, street lighting, and area warehouses
LAX landscaped entry mound, Departure Level and Overpass system.
Custom Southern California trees and bushes, including various kinds of palm trees.
More complete perimeter scenery for a fuller look.
Over 35,000 objects.
New West Gate Terminal at Tom Bradley Int'l
New Qantas and Delta maintenance hangars
Improved lighting.
Laminar Research Ground Service
New XP12 Auto Jetways at every ramp (shift+g)
Full Main Parking Lots with cars, buses, and trees
Updated roadways
Well known landmarks, namely Hyperion treatment plant and the world
famous In-and-Out Burger
Traffic Global Ready!
Animated Airport
v4.0 now uses Laminar Ground Service, so there is no lack of vehicles to add to the realism
Photo-realistic Scenery Of Airport
Close to 20 sq mi of aerial photography
High-Definition resolution: 30 cm (1 foot)
X-Plane or ortho-texture terminal taxiway option
Requirements
X-Plane 12
Windows, Mac or Linux
8 GB+ Video Card recommended
Download size: 775 MB
Current version: 4.0 (November 15th 2024)
Review System Specifications
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X – 32GB RAM - Nvidia RTX 2060 12GB – Windows 11

__________________________________

Scenery Review by Dennis Powell
28th February 2025
Copyright©2025: 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).

Yes it really is one of the best! Such an amazing addon!

To me she is the best of all sim airplanes. Very close to the real C172 I've flown IRL (of course with the logical limitations of the sim)

Aircraft Review: Cessna 172NG Analog by Airfoillabs
 
By DrishalMAC2
 
Introduction
AirFoilLabs has brought the iconic Cessna 172 (C172) into X-Plane 12, offering a deeply immersive, study-level simulation of one of the most popular general aviation aircraft in history. Known for its simplicity, versatility, and extensive use as a training aircraft, the analogue C172 promises a highly detailed and authentic experience that appeals to both aspiring pilots and seasoned simmers.

In this review, I’ll explore the AirFoilLabs C172 in X-Plane 12, focusing on its visual fidelity, flight model, systems depth, and overall user experience. As a real-world PPL student with experience flying the smaller C152, I have a solid grasp of how this aircraft should behave. To ensure accuracy, I consulted a C172 flight instructor while writing this review, helping to clarify any knowledge gaps that weren’t directly transferable from the C152.

Installation
Installing the AirFoilLabs C172 follows a slightly different process compared to most aircraft. After purchasing the product from the Org store, you’ll receive a .txt file containing links to download the AirFoilLabs Product Manager for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Once downloaded, you’ll need to run the installer and follow the setup process. This will install a plugin called XJet into X-Plane. The next time you load a flight, the Product Manager will pop up, prompting you to enter the provided serial key from the store. After activation, the Product Manager will handle the automatic installation of the aircraft and ensure it stays updated. Once installed, the aircraft takes up 3.26GB of disk space, which is relatively small given the extensive features and liveries included.

External Texturing & Liveries
The external texturing on this aircraft is fantastic. The use of PBR materials results in a stunning fuselage, especially noticeable on polished surfaces under different lighting conditions.
 





 
With forty-eight liveries available in total, including a blank default livery, users can choose from a wide range of global operators, adding a personal touch to their chosen aircraft. Subtle weathering effects and signs of wear further enhance realism, making the aircraft look like a well-used trainer. The images below are a sample of some of those included in the package. 
 




 
3D Model & Animations
The AirFoilLabs C172 boasts exceptional external modelling, among the best I’ve seen in this class of aircraft. Every detail, from rivets to aerodynamic fairings, is meticulously recreated. You can even enable or disable fairings on the landing gear and vortex generators on the wings, both of which impact the flight model. If you’re unfamiliar, vortex generators help energise airflow over the wing, delaying airflow separation near stall conditions. This feature enhances low-speed performance and makes stalls more predictable.
 

 
The C172’s 3D model is based on real-world schematics, and the attention to detail is evident. Fluid animations include operational doors, moveable sun visors, and even a floating pen during zero-G manoeuvres. On the ground, chocks, tiedowns, and detailed ground equipment create an immersive pre-flight experience. Additionally, removable engine covers allow for a full engine inspection, while fuel and oil caps can be manually removed to check fluid levels. A dynamic damage model simulates wing bending, overspeed flutter, and structural wear, accurately reflecting the consequences of mishandling the aircraft. These visual and physical effects further elevate the realism of the aircraft.
 




 
Cockpit & Internal Texturing
Step inside the cockpit, and you’re greeted by a fantastic recreation of the C172’s analogue panel. Every gauge, switch, and lever is precisely modelled in 3D. The wear on controls and upholstery tells the story of a frequently flown aircraft, adding to the immersion.
Adjustable cockpit lighting allows for customised visibility during night flights, while full VR compatibility makes this an excellent choice for virtual reality pilots. A fully interactive environment ensures that every switch and knob functions as expected.
 


 
Avionics & Systems
The analogue panel includes all the standard equipment found in a real-world C172, including:
Dual NAV/COM radios
ADF
Transponder
GNS 530
Custom electrical system with functional circuit breakers
For those seeking more advanced navigation options, Reality XP GTN 750 compatibility is also provided. The systems depth is remarkable, with custom logic for the electrical, fuel, and engine systems. Each component is modelled with wear and failure mechanics, delivering a highly realistic experience. For instance, spark plug fouling, fuel pump degradation, and even oil contamination can occur, requiring proactive maintenance to keep the aircraft in top condition.
 

 
Flight Model & Performance
AirFoilLabs has partnered with real-world pilots and flight instructors to fine-tune the flight model, and it clearly shows. The C172 retains the same forgiving characteristics that make it an ideal trainer. It feels smooth and predictable in flight, just as I would expect from this high-wing aircraft. Stalls and spins, in particular, feel remarkably close to my real-world flying experience.
 
Take-off and Climb
Take-off at 75 knots is smooth and predictable, with climb performance closely matching real-world figures. Crosswind ground handling feels natural, and soft-field take-off behaviour is well modelled.
 

 
Cruise
At 2300 RPM, the aircraft cruises comfortably at around 110 knots, with accurate fuel consumption and power settings. Its responsiveness to control inputs makes navigation and training manoeuvres a pleasure.
 

 
Landing
Landing characteristics are spot-on, with predictable flare dynamics. The forgiving landing gear makes it easier for newer pilots to achieve smooth touchdowns. Adverse conditions, such as crosswinds, are well modelled, offering the same challenges as real-world flying.
 


 
Sounds
The FMOD sound system delivers a rich and immersive audio environment. Engine noises, control surface movements, and environmental effects, such as rain and wind, are accurately reproduced. Sounds dynamically respond to throttle settings, weather conditions, and pilot actions, further enhancing the sense of realism.

Additional Features
Damage Simulation: The damage model is a standout feature. Overloading the wings, striking the ground, or neglecting maintenance can result in visible and functional consequences, so it's important to check the failures menu and monitor the aircraft’s condition regularly.

Weather Effects: Rain and icing effects on the windshield enhance the flying experience, particularly with X-Plane 12’s updated weather engine. These effects are visually impressive and make flying in winter conditions more immersive and enjoyable.

Failure Scenarios: A custom failure management system allows users to simulate realistic emergencies, ranging from electrical malfunctions to engine failures. Scenarios can be saved and replayed for practice, making it a valuable training tool.
 
Integrated Headshake: AirFoilLabs has integrated both external and internal camera effects exceptionally well. Despite already having XPRealistic, I found myself really enjoying AirFoilLabs’ headshake effect, which responds dynamically to G-forces and adds to the overall immersion.

Live 2D Electrical and Engine Panel: During flight, you can open a 2D electrical or engine panel, both of which display detailed system information. This is a fantastic tool for students looking to better understand the C172’s systems. As an Aerospace Systems Engineering student, I was thrilled to see this feature included, it genuinely excited me!
 

 
User Interface (UI)
This aircraft includes several unique UI features that enhance usability. One standout feature is the ability to open the Checklist, POH, Performance Charts, and Emergency Procedures using a checklist button located in the bottom-right corner. These UI buttons remain invisible until hovered over, keeping the screen uncluttered.

The General page displays a POH cover image alongside a diagram showcasing the aircraft’s size. Next, the Limits pages outline all aircraft flight limits, making them a valuable reference for student pilots. You also have access to normal and emergency checklists, which can be set to manual or automatic mode within the aircraft settings. Additionally, there are five pages of performance data and charts. This is a well-structured and detailed feature, though PDF versions would be a welcome addition.
 





 
On the bottom-left of the UI, there is a camera selection menu, allowing users to switch between various internal and external camera presets. Also on the left-hand side, there is a comprehensive options menu with the following choices:
Aircraft states
2D electrical and engine panels
Ground equipment
Aircraft variant options
Weight and balance
Failures
Aircraft settings menu
Load/save situation
The layout is intuitive and easy to navigate, making aircraft customisation simple. In addition, the aircraft features a custom cinematic start sequence when loading into a flight. This optional feature enhances immersion right from the start, complementing the aircraft’s highly detailed UI elements.
 




 
Conclusion
The AirFoilLabs Cessna 172 for X-Plane 12 is a masterclass in simulation fidelity. With exceptional systems depth, impressive visuals, and an authentic flight model, it stands out as one of the most comprehensive general aviation aircraft available for X-Plane, or any flight simulation for that matter. All told, it has thoroughly impressed me!

Whether you’re a student pilot honing your skills or an X-Plane enthusiast looking for a highly detailed and enjoyable flying experience, the AirFoilLabs C172 delivers on all fronts. This aircraft is a must-have addition to any X-Plane 12 hangar.
 
 
________________________
 

 
The C172 NG Analog by Airfoillabs is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
C172 NG Analog
Priced at $59.95
 
Features
New X-Plane 12 Features:
New detailed 3d Model Interior/Exterior built from scratch!
Customizable, Highly Detailed Analog Gauges
Reality XP - GTN 750 compatibility
Brand new X-Plane 12 flight model
Internal Camera Enhancements (G-Forces) - Immersive camera effects out of the box
Complex External Camera Enhancements
Toe Brakes Smoothing Option for a better experience 
3D Model
3D Model based on real aircraft and rebuilt from the ground up
Exquisite PBR Texturing
Lycoming IO-360-L2A with all engine parts
Engine Heater, GPU, Refueling details, Fuel Sampling, Oil Management
Covers, Chocks, Tiedowns
Interior with many animations, vibrations, zero-G floating objects, baggage, and more
Damaged Aircraft Parts
Many detailed passengers and pilots
Rain, Icing, Broken Windshield
Custom Particles Effects
48 Liveries
Countless additional details, features, and animation
HDR Lighting System
FMOD Sound
More than 320 sounds + detailed, layered engine samples with audible failures simulation
Many real aircraft recording sessions
All animations, movements, and situations produce sounds
Weather effects outside and inside of the aircraft
Flight Model
Based on real aircraft flight recordings
Performance tuned and correlated with performance tables
Behavior details consulted with Pilots and Flight Instructors
Additional custom behavior: Stall and Spin, Soft Field Takeoff, Crosswind Ground Operations
Lift, Drag, Moment Forces Airfoils Data customized by internal plugin-based tweaker
Detailed Damage Simulation as Bending of the wings, Overspeed Flutter, Flaps damage, etc.
Wing Tail and Fuselage ground strike simulation.
Flight Model is influenced by - Vortex Generators, Flap Gap Seals, Bush Wheels, Fairings, Broken Windshield, etc.
Aircraft Systems
Custom Fuel System Simulation, including fuel flow and individual components logic and failures
Landing Gear plugin-based tuning of forces, including Side Moments, Skidding, and more
Detailed Landing Gear Damage - Bending Struts, Tire Wear, Flat Tire, Brakes, etc.
Flight Controls Damage simulation
Electrical System
Plugin Based Custom Electrical System designed according to real C172 Electrical Scheme
Simulating All Circuit Breakers, Electrical Components Failures, Short Circuits
Custom Busses, Fuses, Corrected Voltages, Amps, Batteries, behaviors, etc.
Electrical Scheme 2D Panel with live states
Engine Logic
Custom Engine Components Simulation and Wear
Per Cylinder Simulation of Temperatures, Wear, and Failures
Custom Oil Temperature, Pressure Simulation
Custom Per Cylinder EGT simulation
2 Magnetos and 8 Individual Spark Plugs Simulations
Spark Plugs Fouling Simulation
Additional Engine Components Wear and Failure Simulation (Air Intake, Fuel Pump, Exhaust, Fuel/Air Control Unit, Fuel Flow Transducer, Oil Filter, etc.)
Failure Management System and Scenarios Saving
Custom Plugin-Based Failure Management System
175 Individual Components Simulated
Each Aircraft Component has a Wear property with custom Logic
Components Wear and Failures influence each other
Components State Saving Option
Failed at Altitude ASL/AGL Option
Possibility to Save Failure Sets as Individual Scenarios with thumbnail and description
30 Scenarios Provided
C172 Knowledge Base
All of the 175 failable components are explained in detail in a 2D window
It provides valuable C172 information about how the aircraft works in real-life
Engine Components are 3D clickable from the outside with Instant Descriptions, Explanations, and Illustrations.
User Interface and 2D Panels
New Gen User Interface with Floating Menu - Ergonomy and Ease of Use in Mind
Instant Loading of Aircraft States: Cold&Dark, Before Start, Before Taxi, Before Takeoff
Aircraft Options Menu
Weight & Balance Detailed Options
Complex Failure Management System
General Settings include aircraft states, component conditions, sounds, intro, etc.
Custom Load/Save Situations Dialog
Camera and Quick View Interface
Automated Checklists with Performance Calculators (Takeoff, Landing, Cruise)
Stylish Intro Animation
Aircraft Options
Wheel Fairings, Stylish Disc Wheel Covers, Bush wheels
Vortex Generators, Flap Gap Seals
Cockpit AoA Indicator and Tablet with AviTab Implementation
Headphones Logic and Noise Canceling
Checklist and Performance
Complex Automated Checklist System
Camera Focus on Instruments Option
Checklist Flow Options: Manual, Semi-Automatic, Automatic
Checklist Hints
Short Field Takeoff Calculator
Short Field Landing Calculator
Ground Operations
Manual Towing
Exterior Manual Check of Flight Controls
Covers, Tiedowns, Chocks Manipulation
Manual Fuel Sampling
Manual Refueling and Fuel Quantity Check
Manual Oil Refilling and Oil Quantity Check
Engine Heater Operation Logic
Walk Feature and QuickLook Camera with Collisions
Walk Feature with Terrain and Aircraft Collisions
Walk, Run, Crouch, and Gravity Simulation
Climb on the aircraft to refuel, get in/out
Customizable and Comfortable QuickLook System for Hat Switch Joysticks, compatible with other plugins
Requirements
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac Intel, Mac Silicon, or Linux 
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 1.1.0 (December 13th, 2024)
Review System Specifications
Windows 11, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB DDR5 RAM, RTX 3070Ti 
________________________
Aircraft Review by DrishalMAC2
31st January 2024
Copyright©2024: 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).
 

Aircraft Review: Cessna 172NG Analog by Airfoillabs
 
By DrishalMAC2
 
Introduction
AirFoilLabs has brought the iconic Cessna 172 (C172) into X-Plane 12, offering a deeply immersive, study-level simulation of one of the most popular general aviation aircraft in history. Known for its simplicity, versatility, and extensive use as a training aircraft, the analogue C172 promises a highly detailed and authentic experience that appeals to both aspiring pilots and seasoned simmers.

In this review, I’ll explore the AirFoilLabs C172 in X-Plane 12, focusing on its visual fidelity, flight model, systems depth, and overall user experience. As a real-world PPL student with experience flying the smaller C152, I have a solid grasp of how this aircraft should behave. To ensure accuracy, I consulted a C172 flight instructor while writing this review, helping to clarify any knowledge gaps that weren’t directly transferable from the C152.

Installation
Installing the AirFoilLabs C172 follows a slightly different process compared to most aircraft. After purchasing the product from the Org store, you’ll receive a .txt file containing links to download the AirFoilLabs Product Manager for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

Once downloaded, you’ll need to run the installer and follow the setup process. This will install a plugin called XJet into X-Plane. The next time you load a flight, the Product Manager will pop up, prompting you to enter the provided serial key from the store. After activation, the Product Manager will handle the automatic installation of the aircraft and ensure it stays updated. Once installed, the aircraft takes up 3.26GB of disk space, which is relatively small given the extensive features and liveries included.

External Texturing & Liveries
The external texturing on this aircraft is fantastic. The use of PBR materials results in a stunning fuselage, especially noticeable on polished surfaces under different lighting conditions.
 





 
With forty-eight liveries available in total, including a blank default livery, users can choose from a wide range of global operators, adding a personal touch to their chosen aircraft. Subtle weathering effects and signs of wear further enhance realism, making the aircraft look like a well-used trainer. The images below are a sample of some of those included in the package. 
 




 
3D Model & Animations
The AirFoilLabs C172 boasts exceptional external modelling, among the best I’ve seen in this class of aircraft. Every detail, from rivets to aerodynamic fairings, is meticulously recreated. You can even enable or disable fairings on the landing gear and vortex generators on the wings, both of which impact the flight model. If you’re unfamiliar, vortex generators help energise airflow over the wing, delaying airflow separation near stall conditions. This feature enhances low-speed performance and makes stalls more predictable.
 

 
The C172’s 3D model is based on real-world schematics, and the attention to detail is evident. Fluid animations include operational doors, moveable sun visors, and even a floating pen during zero-G manoeuvres. On the ground, chocks, tiedowns, and detailed ground equipment create an immersive pre-flight experience. Additionally, removable engine covers allow for a full engine inspection, while fuel and oil caps can be manually removed to check fluid levels. A dynamic damage model simulates wing bending, overspeed flutter, and structural wear, accurately reflecting the consequences of mishandling the aircraft. These visual and physical effects further elevate the realism of the aircraft.
 




 
Cockpit & Internal Texturing
Step inside the cockpit, and you’re greeted by a fantastic recreation of the C172’s analogue panel. Every gauge, switch, and lever is precisely modelled in 3D. The wear on controls and upholstery tells the story of a frequently flown aircraft, adding to the immersion.
Adjustable cockpit lighting allows for customised visibility during night flights, while full VR compatibility makes this an excellent choice for virtual reality pilots. A fully interactive environment ensures that every switch and knob functions as expected.
 


 
Avionics & Systems
The analogue panel includes all the standard equipment found in a real-world C172, including:
Dual NAV/COM radios
ADF
Transponder
GNS 530
Custom electrical system with functional circuit breakers
For those seeking more advanced navigation options, Reality XP GTN 750 compatibility is also provided. The systems depth is remarkable, with custom logic for the electrical, fuel, and engine systems. Each component is modelled with wear and failure mechanics, delivering a highly realistic experience. For instance, spark plug fouling, fuel pump degradation, and even oil contamination can occur, requiring proactive maintenance to keep the aircraft in top condition.
 

 
Flight Model & Performance
AirFoilLabs has partnered with real-world pilots and flight instructors to fine-tune the flight model, and it clearly shows. The C172 retains the same forgiving characteristics that make it an ideal trainer. It feels smooth and predictable in flight, just as I would expect from this high-wing aircraft. Stalls and spins, in particular, feel remarkably close to my real-world flying experience.
 
Take-off and Climb
Take-off at 75 knots is smooth and predictable, with climb performance closely matching real-world figures. Crosswind ground handling feels natural, and soft-field take-off behaviour is well modelled.
 

 
Cruise
At 2300 RPM, the aircraft cruises comfortably at around 110 knots, with accurate fuel consumption and power settings. Its responsiveness to control inputs makes navigation and training manoeuvres a pleasure.
 

 
Landing
Landing characteristics are spot-on, with predictable flare dynamics. The forgiving landing gear makes it easier for newer pilots to achieve smooth touchdowns. Adverse conditions, such as crosswinds, are well modelled, offering the same challenges as real-world flying.
 


 
Sounds
The FMOD sound system delivers a rich and immersive audio environment. Engine noises, control surface movements, and environmental effects, such as rain and wind, are accurately reproduced. Sounds dynamically respond to throttle settings, weather conditions, and pilot actions, further enhancing the sense of realism.

Additional Features
Damage Simulation: The damage model is a standout feature. Overloading the wings, striking the ground, or neglecting maintenance can result in visible and functional consequences, so it's important to check the failures menu and monitor the aircraft’s condition regularly.

Weather Effects: Rain and icing effects on the windshield enhance the flying experience, particularly with X-Plane 12’s updated weather engine. These effects are visually impressive and make flying in winter conditions more immersive and enjoyable.

Failure Scenarios: A custom failure management system allows users to simulate realistic emergencies, ranging from electrical malfunctions to engine failures. Scenarios can be saved and replayed for practice, making it a valuable training tool.
 
Integrated Headshake: AirFoilLabs has integrated both external and internal camera effects exceptionally well. Despite already having XPRealistic, I found myself really enjoying AirFoilLabs’ headshake effect, which responds dynamically to G-forces and adds to the overall immersion.

Live 2D Electrical and Engine Panel: During flight, you can open a 2D electrical or engine panel, both of which display detailed system information. This is a fantastic tool for students looking to better understand the C172’s systems. As an Aerospace Systems Engineering student, I was thrilled to see this feature included, it genuinely excited me!
 

 
User Interface (UI)
This aircraft includes several unique UI features that enhance usability. One standout feature is the ability to open the Checklist, POH, Performance Charts, and Emergency Procedures using a checklist button located in the bottom-right corner. These UI buttons remain invisible until hovered over, keeping the screen uncluttered.

The General page displays a POH cover image alongside a diagram showcasing the aircraft’s size. Next, the Limits pages outline all aircraft flight limits, making them a valuable reference for student pilots. You also have access to normal and emergency checklists, which can be set to manual or automatic mode within the aircraft settings. Additionally, there are five pages of performance data and charts. This is a well-structured and detailed feature, though PDF versions would be a welcome addition.
 





 
On the bottom-left of the UI, there is a camera selection menu, allowing users to switch between various internal and external camera presets. Also on the left-hand side, there is a comprehensive options menu with the following choices:
Aircraft states
2D electrical and engine panels
Ground equipment
Aircraft variant options
Weight and balance
Failures
Aircraft settings menu
Load/save situation
The layout is intuitive and easy to navigate, making aircraft customisation simple. In addition, the aircraft features a custom cinematic start sequence when loading into a flight. This optional feature enhances immersion right from the start, complementing the aircraft’s highly detailed UI elements.
 




 
Conclusion
The AirFoilLabs Cessna 172 for X-Plane 12 is a masterclass in simulation fidelity. With exceptional systems depth, impressive visuals, and an authentic flight model, it stands out as one of the most comprehensive general aviation aircraft available for X-Plane, or any flight simulation for that matter. All told, it has thoroughly impressed me!

Whether you’re a student pilot honing your skills or an X-Plane enthusiast looking for a highly detailed and enjoyable flying experience, the AirFoilLabs C172 delivers on all fronts. This aircraft is a must-have addition to any X-Plane 12 hangar.
 
 
________________________
 

 
The C172 NG Analog by Airfoillabs is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
C172 NG Analog
Priced at $59.95
 
Features
New X-Plane 12 Features:
New detailed 3d Model Interior/Exterior built from scratch!
Customizable, Highly Detailed Analog Gauges
Reality XP - GTN 750 compatibility
Brand new X-Plane 12 flight model
Internal Camera Enhancements (G-Forces) - Immersive camera effects out of the box
Complex External Camera Enhancements
Toe Brakes Smoothing Option for a better experience 
3D Model
3D Model based on real aircraft and rebuilt from the ground up
Exquisite PBR Texturing
Lycoming IO-360-L2A with all engine parts
Engine Heater, GPU, Refueling details, Fuel Sampling, Oil Management
Covers, Chocks, Tiedowns
Interior with many animations, vibrations, zero-G floating objects, baggage, and more
Damaged Aircraft Parts
Many detailed passengers and pilots
Rain, Icing, Broken Windshield
Custom Particles Effects
48 Liveries
Countless additional details, features, and animation
HDR Lighting System
FMOD Sound
More than 320 sounds + detailed, layered engine samples with audible failures simulation
Many real aircraft recording sessions
All animations, movements, and situations produce sounds
Weather effects outside and inside of the aircraft
Flight Model
Based on real aircraft flight recordings
Performance tuned and correlated with performance tables
Behavior details consulted with Pilots and Flight Instructors
Additional custom behavior: Stall and Spin, Soft Field Takeoff, Crosswind Ground Operations
Lift, Drag, Moment Forces Airfoils Data customized by internal plugin-based tweaker
Detailed Damage Simulation as Bending of the wings, Overspeed Flutter, Flaps damage, etc.
Wing Tail and Fuselage ground strike simulation.
Flight Model is influenced by - Vortex Generators, Flap Gap Seals, Bush Wheels, Fairings, Broken Windshield, etc.
Aircraft Systems
Custom Fuel System Simulation, including fuel flow and individual components logic and failures
Landing Gear plugin-based tuning of forces, including Side Moments, Skidding, and more
Detailed Landing Gear Damage - Bending Struts, Tire Wear, Flat Tire, Brakes, etc.
Flight Controls Damage simulation
Electrical System
Plugin Based Custom Electrical System designed according to real C172 Electrical Scheme
Simulating All Circuit Breakers, Electrical Components Failures, Short Circuits
Custom Busses, Fuses, Corrected Voltages, Amps, Batteries, behaviors, etc.
Electrical Scheme 2D Panel with live states
Engine Logic
Custom Engine Components Simulation and Wear
Per Cylinder Simulation of Temperatures, Wear, and Failures
Custom Oil Temperature, Pressure Simulation
Custom Per Cylinder EGT simulation
2 Magnetos and 8 Individual Spark Plugs Simulations
Spark Plugs Fouling Simulation
Additional Engine Components Wear and Failure Simulation (Air Intake, Fuel Pump, Exhaust, Fuel/Air Control Unit, Fuel Flow Transducer, Oil Filter, etc.)
Failure Management System and Scenarios Saving
Custom Plugin-Based Failure Management System
175 Individual Components Simulated
Each Aircraft Component has a Wear property with custom Logic
Components Wear and Failures influence each other
Components State Saving Option
Failed at Altitude ASL/AGL Option
Possibility to Save Failure Sets as Individual Scenarios with thumbnail and description
30 Scenarios Provided
C172 Knowledge Base
All of the 175 failable components are explained in detail in a 2D window
It provides valuable C172 information about how the aircraft works in real-life
Engine Components are 3D clickable from the outside with Instant Descriptions, Explanations, and Illustrations.
User Interface and 2D Panels
New Gen User Interface with Floating Menu - Ergonomy and Ease of Use in Mind
Instant Loading of Aircraft States: Cold&Dark, Before Start, Before Taxi, Before Takeoff
Aircraft Options Menu
Weight & Balance Detailed Options
Complex Failure Management System
General Settings include aircraft states, component conditions, sounds, intro, etc.
Custom Load/Save Situations Dialog
Camera and Quick View Interface
Automated Checklists with Performance Calculators (Takeoff, Landing, Cruise)
Stylish Intro Animation
Aircraft Options
Wheel Fairings, Stylish Disc Wheel Covers, Bush wheels
Vortex Generators, Flap Gap Seals
Cockpit AoA Indicator and Tablet with AviTab Implementation
Headphones Logic and Noise Canceling
Checklist and Performance
Complex Automated Checklist System
Camera Focus on Instruments Option
Checklist Flow Options: Manual, Semi-Automatic, Automatic
Checklist Hints
Short Field Takeoff Calculator
Short Field Landing Calculator
Ground Operations
Manual Towing
Exterior Manual Check of Flight Controls
Covers, Tiedowns, Chocks Manipulation
Manual Fuel Sampling
Manual Refueling and Fuel Quantity Check
Manual Oil Refilling and Oil Quantity Check
Engine Heater Operation Logic
Walk Feature and QuickLook Camera with Collisions
Walk Feature with Terrain and Aircraft Collisions
Walk, Run, Crouch, and Gravity Simulation
Climb on the aircraft to refuel, get in/out
Customizable and Comfortable QuickLook System for Hat Switch Joysticks, compatible with other plugins
Requirements
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac Intel, Mac Silicon, or Linux 
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 1.1.0 (December 13th, 2024)
Review System Specifications
Windows 11, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB DDR5 RAM, RTX 3070Ti 
________________________
Aircraft Review by DrishalMAC2
31st January 2024
Copyright©2024: 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).
 

Interview : X-Plane.Org - Stephen Dutton the Man behind X-PlaneReviews
 
Conducted by Dominic Smith
 

 
Introduction
Stephen Dutton is the man behind X-PlaneReviews, one of the Org's most trusted review sites. Over the years, Stephen’s passion for X-Plane, combined with his eye for detail and extensive experience, has made him a key figure in the world of flight simulation.
In this interview, we learn more about Stephen’s fascinating journey, the origins of X-PlaneReviews, and the challenges of running a review site. We also explore how his work, as part of the X-Plane.Org team, has contributed to the growth of the community and its developers.
 
Stephen, to start, could you tell us about your history with aviation and your background in business?
 
I was born about two miles from the now Airbus Hawarden complex outside Chester UK, so I’m Welsh, and most of my family have or are still working at Airbus, but back then it was Hawker Siddeley Aviation building the HS 125, so you were aware of the industry, and family were always talking about their work. I would have probably gone there, but my father had a serious accident, and we moved to Blackpool.
 
My best friend at school was the first aviation nut I encountered, I visited his home and there was literally hundreds of model aircraft hanging from the ceiling and covering every space in the front living room, so we went spotting, Speke in Liverpool and Ringway at Manchester, watching turboprops (Viscounts, HS 748) and early jets (BAC one-eleven, Tridents). Martin wanted to go into the RAF, but was not accepted, and actually he later ended up working for Airbus at Hawarden!
 
At the same time my father became a chef at Heathrow in the hotel off season, so I would spend the winter holidays at the London airport, this was the late sixties, early 70’s, the B747 services had just started and Concorde was doing service trials, but my eyes were always on the Vickers VC10’s, the most beautiful machine ever flown, but you still had the dozens of 707’s, DC-8’s, Caravelle’s, more Tridents, all trafficking around you, and you had a lot of airport access back then, until the Middle East high-jackings.
 
But I was never going to be a pilot. I had a tonsil operation at six that went wrong by pulling a nerve in my neck, I was left deaf and slightly blind on the left side, so I would never pass a medical, certainly not back then, but maybe I would actually pass today. So, an aviation or Service career was never possible.
 
My father then moved to Australia in the early seventies, so my career was riding the technological waves from the late 70’s to mid-2000’s.
So I never worked for anyone else, but ran businesses that started with renting Video Recorders, opening the first Video Store, Video Cameras, then went pro into AV (Audio Visual) in supplying conventions and tradeshows with video projectors and pro monitors stacked together. I then moved into the first computer Video editing work with the just opened Qld Film Studios at Coomera, then moved into creating and developing DVDs for distribution. This aspect required a lot of graphic work, so anything visual, imaginative was my forte, then streaming came along…  so, I was then looking at Digital Signage (my email is still dirdigital when I registered it), or the big video display signage that are very common now, anyway my doctor told me that if I didn’t stop working 15-hour days I would be dead in a year, today it’s what you would call a career change.
 
What was the first flight sim you used, and when did you start using it?
 
Microsoft put out an Apple Mac version of Flight Simulator in eighty-six, so I suppose I used it around eighty-eight. I was confronted with VOR’s, ILS, NDB’s, Waypoints, it was 2d (or even 1d if you think back) just a horizon and sky, very basic but it taught me the basics with a little desktop joystick. Then later I tried Fly2 in the early 2000’s, which was far better, still got it somewhere.
 
So, around 2008, I went to a RAAF Open day at Amberley, by Brisbane, and there was a group of Simulation pilots flying F16’s in frames with keyboards strapped to the top and bottom, joysticks and rudder pedals, it was totally brilliant, and I thought “Yeah I want to do that”.
 
When was the first time you tried X-Plane, and what drew you to it?
 
Again, it was because X-Plane was an Apple Mac Flight Simulator, I had never used Windows at that point in 2009, as I hated Bill Gates for stealing the idea from Steve Jobs (who stole it from Xerox). Being in graphics the Mac was always far superior for graphic manipulation and video editing, I went to study art and had to use the Windows in a classroom, hated it even more, usually took the assignments home and redid them in a fraction of the time on the Mac, they printed out better as well with a colour-laser printer.
Now I use Windows as my main X-Plane computer, for one Windows 10 went towards the Apple graphic model, secondly Windows are far more easily updated internally and is essential for running plugins, but the site and graphic work is still completed on a Mac, connected to the Windows. So, I had a new Mac Mini at the time and X-Plane would run quite well on that in X-Plane 9, and it was a load of fun.
 
And why did you choose X-Plane over MSFS or other flight simulators?
 
I quickly realised that MSFS was not great at the aerodynamics, plus the old, dated code restrictions that came with it like with 3gb file sizes. Whereas as X-Plane felt and acted more like in what a real aircraft would fly (The famous blade element theory) as I am big on authenticity, I wasn’t interested in MSFS.
 
What inspired you to start X-PlaneReviews.com, and how has being part of the Org team helped you in running the site?
 
Starting X-PlaneReviews wasn’t my idea. Like anything, when I do something I’m all in, and at the time around 2009 review sites were pretty average. I quickly became the third person in with Chip and Simon W at X+Sim+Reviews as it was the best one around at the time, mostly at first to clean it up graphic wise, make the site look more modern, then I was soon doing reviews. And I found I was very good at it, and learning fastIt was a crazy, mad place and a lot of fun. Then, life took its toll as Simon left and Chip faced significant challenges, and the site eventually fell apart. But it was a very good and entertaining site.
 
I was then recruited by Aerosoft for their own new ASN Review Site, it was badly put together and badly run, very restricting creatively, not very innovative, so I left well before Aerosoft also gave up ASN and shut it down. I went on to what you would now call “Gardening Leave” for six months in the wilderness, but I really missed being part of that side of the X-Plane world, then I got an email from Nicolas Taureau, of the X-Plane.Org.
 
He asked me if I wanted to run a review site and helped me set it up by allowing me access to the Org Store product and setting up the IPB site format, so basically X-PlaneReviews is his idea. Like everything, most X-Plane users don’t see the background work and the help the .Org does for the Simulator and in attracting new talent, but this massive support should be acknowledged in the history and growth of X-Plane, it also gave me a new career, and it’s nearly twelve years since that initial August start that X-PlaneReviews have been active.
 
Running a review site sounds like a lot of work. What’s been the biggest challenge for you in keeping X-PlaneReviews going, and how has being part of the Org supported your efforts?
 
If you want a successful site on the internet, then consistency is the most important aspect in achieving that goal, always being there and posting regularly is important, it can also mean a lot of work and effort, mostly time, and time is your enemy in reviewing. So, running a site is very demanding, it takes up a lot of your time, even personal time, and so you must be very careful in not to burn out.
 
You’ve reviewed countless products over the years. What’s your process when putting a review together, and are there specific things you always look out for?
 
The other issue is trying to keep content interesting, as in most cases you are in reality doing the same review over and over again. Thankfully a lot of the content has a new feature or highlights, say a new FMS system or something to focus the review on, or the feature list. Another point is to teach users on in how to use these complicated new features, so I combine the review with a tutorial as part of the process, again study and actually in mostly working it all out to simplify the transition for new users or even people not associated with aviation, in a format they can understand and can then easily use the technical information. This aspect is important, as when I started in X-Plane I found a lot of the systems confusing or finding it hard to find the information in on how to use it. I never forgot this aspect, so I see myself as a teacher as well as a reviewer.
 
What’s something you wish more people knew about X-PlaneReviews or the Org team’s efforts in keeping the community engaged?
 
It is the behind-the-scenes efforts. Feedback and testing of the new products, now more so as a lot of developers have dropped alpha testing, throwing betas out there, now the later fixing is the opposite of refining the product before it goes on sale. I tend to drive developers mad in finding things early, then, them saying “oh I don’t see that issue”, then three weeks after the release saying, “Okay I found that and fixed it”. The Org is a huge support system for developers, and that aspect is critically important, as the developers are at the heart of the Simulator, a lot of users contribute to X-Plane, but quality developers are the soul of the Simulator, they move it forward and keep us wanting the clever products they deliver. 
Again X-PlaneReviews I will note is the central balance, our aim is to deliver the best product for users and at a value price so the feedback going both ways is critical in achieving this. But it is very important that the developers are rewarded for the huge amount of work they put in, it is an important balance, if developers are found wanting in loss for their work, they will move on or leave to do something that rewards their skills better.
 
As part of the Org team, how do you see the community’s role in helping platforms like ours continue to thrive, especially with the flight sim market becoming more competitive?
 
The core and heart of X-Plane is the experimental aspect, and the Org is the engine room that allows users to say tinker, adjust, try ideas and create great tools for other users, it is a share environment, and a community project that we all do together, and we must continue to attract such people and their talents. 
Allow them to thrive in a good accommodating atmosphere, at the heart it is great community that I have been very proud to have been associated with as we all share the same spirit.
 
Was there a particular moment in X-Plane’s history or development where you felt it picked up a gear? Maybe something that had a direct impact on how you saw the sim or how you approached writing your reviews?
 
You basically react to the X-Plane Simulator itself, as it goes through its version changes. X-Plane 10 was the most significant release, it brought in big ground texture changes, 3d cockpits, FMS Systems and the most significant was the introduction of plugins to give aircraft developers freedom from the restricting Plane Maker system, X-Plane 11 built on that foundation, refining it, also bringing in the Vulkan/Metal changes. X-Plane 12 is certainly another huge breakthrough, but those original ground textures are now feeling their age.
 
The flight sim world has changed a lot over the years. How do you think X-Plane has evolved, and what excites you most about where it’s headed?
 
X-Plane has always been an innovator in Simulation, it is a very wide platform as well covering the Windows, Apple and Unix systems, so you are not restricted only to Windows, like with MSFS. That allows for a much wider scope and a vastly different user base. But it is in its consistent forward innovation that has been keeping the Simulator relevant, it is also very adaptable to new ideas, and can implement those ideas quicker, can adjust to those changes better. The Vulkan/Metal changes were extremely important to move X-Plane forward into the future, as everything new will be built on and supported by that APL platform. But it was a deep surgical operation to install it, one we can only now move on from, so I do expect X-Plane to move forward, as it lost a lot of its pace with that coding transformation, but you can now see that quicker forward building momentum returning.
 
With Laminar Research starting their own store and forum, how do you think the X-Plane community can continue to thrive in the future?
 
This is a tricky situation. As we have seen, the X-Plane.Org is a huge support network for users and developers, it also supports itself financially by the Org Store. I don’t think that on the surface Laminar Research has thought through the situation enough by just following the Microsoft model in using a built-in store. Even to damage a very successful central support hub could even be seen as even careless, I can understand it, and why, but X-Plane’s foundation is built on Laminar managing the Simulator’s technical side, and the Org supporting the big user base. 
 
That said, the one biggest challenge facing X-Plane at this point is growth. If anything, MSFS 2020 has shown that there is a very big user base out there that is interested in Simulation, and X-Plane will need to tap into that huge market to grow, as its user base has been flatlined for a few years. So, the future should all be about growth, building, even doubling that user base and welcoming new pilots to the platform, this aspect will benefit everyone and the Simulator itself.
 
What advice would you give to new users looking to get more involved in the X-Plane.Org community and become a true part of it?
 
I was like most new users when I started in X-Plane, I devoured hard drives and hard drives of free content, most of that content is still all loaded on platters in the cupboard, and I rarely use it. I was even blocked on my first day for over downloading, so the Org shut me down quick smart.
 
What I found is there are two tiers of X-Plane, the what I call the “Low Res” X-Plane built on default aircraft and tons of free downloads, and “Hi Res”. This is a simpler X-Plane built on Quality Aircraft+Quality Scenery+ and a few clever Plugins. My X-Plane folder is a fraction of the size of what I used in the first two or so years of the Simulator. But my quality of Simulation is very high, I have invested to have the best and rarely now download free stuff unless required for a review.
 
So yes, I invest a lot back into my Simulation, or as I see it in returning benefits to the developers in what they deliver in quality product. This aspect helps everyone. (note, reviewing aircraft is earning it, in testing and refining the product, so it is not actually free).
 
When you’re not reviewing, what other hobbies or interests keep you busy?
 
Most hobbies have usually turned into my main life’s work, X-Plane is a good example of that. I’m older now, so time off is usually resting, I have always loved Film, and the production of Film, and had the experience of being a part of that process for a few years, but I feel film as a medium is struggling, lost its narrative in Special Effects, so I rarely go to the cinema now, note I say Film not Movie, as it is now more an entertainment medium, not an ideas or creative medium anymore, but I do have a big DVD collection to watch none-streaming films. Travel of course, anything that will get me on a seat on an aircraft or a berth on a ship and I am happy, I’m also a trained Travel Consultant, so I am very good at building up travel arrangements and ideas. In my off time, I’m also still flying my Boeing 747’s from London to Singapore, but in vastly different conditions and circumstances than in X-Plane 9, the tools and detail you have available today in X-Plane 12 is sensational.
 
Finally what advice would you give to someone looking to get more involved in the X-Plane.Org community and become a true part of it, and what do you think makes the Org community stand out in this often-crowded environment?
 
The beauty of the X-Plane.Org community is that anyone, from a 10-year-old to a 90-year-old can be a part of it, help each other, and we all grow together as basically a big family. The advice is also there as Simulation is also very complex, the Community admin, and experienced users (old timers) will help you with your problems, and mostly sort out your issues, and the support base is massive as is the huge amount of content available. But overall, it is the respect we give each other, treat each other for the support of one another that has made it one of the best online communities, and one we are proud to say the one we are also committed to.
 
Now you know the man behind the reviews and the incredible dedication he brings to the X-Plane community. Stephen, I know firsthand how busy you are, so thank you for taking the time to do this.
 
Yeah, it was a lot of fun!
 

______________________________

Scenery Review: Stockholm Archipelago AIRTaxi by LagoFlightLabs
 
By Colin Parker
 
Introduction
The Stockholm Archipelago is the largest archipelago in Sweden, and the second-largest archipelago in the Baltic Sea (the largest being the Archipelago Sea across the Baltic in Finland). Inhabited by farmers and fisherman since the 1400s, it has become a popular tourist destination since the 1950s. It’s possible to visit the larger islands in the archipelago all year round, but during the winter months the routes depend on the ice conditions.
 
LagoFlight-SA’s latest 'AIRTaxi' scenery pack includes five fictional airfields, each scattered across the largest islands of the Stockholm Archipelago: Möja, Namdö, Ornö, Runmarö, and Utö.
 
This pack follows the footsteps of LagoFlight-AG’s Balearic Islands AIRTaxi scenery, imagining routes that could be operated by an air taxi company using small GA aircraft, if the airfields existed. Each airfield features a short, hard-surface runway, along with a range of terminal styles and air traffic control towers. Active ATC frequencies and services are integrated with X-Plane 12’s ATC model.

One quirk to the scenery is that there’s a slight Victorian railway station feel to these airfields, in that they’re a bit over-engineered for the modest traffic the tourist trade might bring. But let’s be honest, realism isn’t the goal here, it’s enjoyment. This scenery gives you a chance to sharpen your flight planning, short-field flying, and weight-and-balance skills in some truly stunning locations, and in that, it certainly excels.
 

Stockholm & Surrounding Area
 
Installation & Documentation
After purchasing, the scenery pack downloads as a small 191KB zip file (yes, you heard that right) and unzips to a mighty 1.6MB! To install the scenery, simply unzip the folders into your X-Plane 12 Custom Scenery folder, then launch X-Plane 12. The documentation is limited to a single page Readme .pdf, which provides basic installation instructions and guidance on locating the airfields in X-Plane. It’s short, but it gets the job done! 

Exploration & Graphical Quality
The airports all feature high-quality textures and objects, along with native X-Plane 12 vegetation. I tested the scenery under various weather conditions, and it performs well with rain, snow, and wind. Each airfield includes a passenger terminal, cargo area, and refuelling points, offering plenty of opportunities to practice taxiing and other missions. All facades and objects come from the standard Laminar libraries for X-Plane 12, hence the download size. The developer suggests using Orthophotos or Auto Ortho for the best visual experience, so I installed tiles +59+017, +59+018, and +58+017 using Ortho4XP, and I can confirm that the scenery looks much better with Orthophotos in place. I also added X-World Europe by simHeaven and Global Trees as these really help bring out the best in the package. 

Möja
Möja (ICAO: ATXM) is the northernmost airfield in the scenery pack, with an elevation of 0 feet. Located on Möja Island, just a short distance from the town of Möjastrom, it’s surrounded by lush forests and features a small brick terminal, an outdoor cargo area, and a control tower with internal detail.
 


 
The hard-surface runway runs 01/19 and stretches six hundred and fifty meters. It’s not entirely flat, with a slight upward slope from the nineteen threshold, levelling off just past the aiming point markers. 
 

 
Fuel is available from a bowser, and there’s limited baggage handling. Although the airfield has surveillance RADAR, operations are strictly VFR, with no instrument landing capabilities. The runway is lit at night, making it suitable for night flying.
 

 
There are three ramp starts, though they’re positioned too close to the terminal for an aircraft to taxi away easily. Pushback is not available, so you’ll either need to pull the aircraft back using the map or rely on a turbo prop with reverse thrust.
 

 
Runmarö
Runmarö (ICAO: ATXR) is the next airfield south, sitting at an elevation of eighty-eight feet. Located on Runmarö Island, the closest of the archipelago’s islands to mainland Sweden, it features a striking glass-and-concrete terminal, an integrated control tower, freight handling, and a workshop building. Fuel is available on-site. There are three ramp starts in front of the terminal, all positioned well enough for a small plane to turn before taxiing. Pushback isn’t available, though.
 



 
The animated vehicles on the airfield occasionally follow odd paths, driving across the grass or even through fences. A few of the vehicles also seem a bit too large for the aircraft typically operating here, but then again, it wouldn’t be X-Plane if you didn’t have at least one oddity! 
 

 
Like Möja, the airfield boasts a well-lit hard-surface runway, oriented 01/19. At seven hundred meters, it’s fifty meters longer than Möja, and operations are strictly VFR, with no instrument landing capabilities. The runway is twenty-five meters wide.
 

 
Namdö
Namdö Island lies five nautical miles south of Möja. The airfield (ICAO: ATXN, elevation thirty-nine feet) features a large terminal, a small car park, and a separate control tower with an outdoor freight handling area. There are three ramp starts outside the terminal, but no pushback facilities are available. The taxiway operates on a one-way system. Fuel is provided via pumps rather than a bowser.
 



 
The well-lit, hard-surface runway is five hundred meters long, thirty meters wide, and oriented 06/24. Operations are strictly VFR, with no instrument landing capabilities.
 

 
Ornö
Ornö is a larger island, located eleven nautical miles southeast of Namdö. The airfield (ICAO: ATXO, elevation forty-nine feet) features a single-storey brick terminal, a military control tower, and a larger fuel facility than the other airfields in the pack. Of all the airfields, this feels most in tune with its surroundings.
 



 
As with the other airfields, there are three ramp starts, all of which are easy to taxi away from without issue.
 


The well-lit, hard-surface runway is oriented 17/35, five hundred meters long, and twenty-five meters wide. It crosses a public highway near the seventeen threshold.
 

 
Utö
Utö (ICAO: ATXU, elevation twenty-six feet) sits at the southernmost edge of the archipelago, nine nautical miles southwest of Ornö. It’s the largest airfield in the scenery pack, with six ramp starts spread around the terminal. The hard-surface runway runs 14/32, measuring nine hundred and fifty meters long and thirty meters wide.
 

 
The airfield features a multi-storey car park, a large concrete terminal, and a multi-tier control tower. Nothing like planning for the distant future! There’s also a helipad, though it’s not available as a start position.
 


 
Surveillance RADAR is available at the airfield, but, like the others, operations are strictly VFR with no instrument landing capabilities. The runway is lit at night, making it suitable for night flying.
 

 
Night Lighting
X-Plane has always excelled when it comes to night lighting, and this scenery is further proof of this. With the right weather conditions, the lighting effects can be pretty impressive. 
 


 
Performance
Being such a small scenery in terms of SSD/HD space, the package consumes minimal processing resources and has no noticeable impact on frame rate. If you can run default X-Plane 12, you can run this package with similar performance.
 


 
Conclusion
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this scenery at first: fictional airfields serving a demand that doesn’t really exist, with somewhat oversized terminals and aircraft handling facilities. But there’s something to be said for a collection of airfields so close together, offering plenty of opportunities to practice and refine core flying skills.

If you pair the scenery with the three ortho tiles mentioned in the documentation, along with X-World Europe by simHeaven and Global Trees, the experience really comes to life. That’s not to say it isn’t enjoyable on a standalone X-Plane install, it’s just that these extras make it far more worthwhile. 

There are a couple of small issues that LagoFlight-SA could address, such as the positioning of the ramp-starts at Möja and the odd routes taken by animated vehicles on some of the airfields. But aside from that, this scenery is a lot of fun to fly in.
 
 
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Stockholm Archipelago AIRTaxi by LagoFlightLabs is available from the Org store here:
 
Stockholm Archipelago AIRTaxi
Priced at US$15.00
 
Features:
Medium sized Terminals
ATC Frequencies
4k Textures
High attention to Detail
3D Native XPlane 12 Vegetation
Very Performance light
Parking lots with lots of Parked Cars
Detailed Tarmac Textures with custom Patterns and Cracks
Taxi Line
Native X-Pane 12 Ground Truck Traffic
Airport service
High quality ground Vehicles
Ground Markings
Cargo area
Fueling station
ATC Towers
Advanced Night Lightning
Water and Snow effects
Custom ICAO Codes
Optimized for X-Plane 12
Requirements:
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac, or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Current version: 1.0.0 (December 10th, 2024)
Reviewers System:
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core Processor 3.80 GHz
Memory: 32.0 GB
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
 
Aircraft Review by Colin Parker
25th January 2025
Copyright©2024: 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) 
 

Aircraft Review: PA-28R TURBO ARROW III / IV XP12 by Just Flight
 
By DrishalMAC2
 
Introduction
Just Flight, in partnership with Thranda Design, has brought the PA-28R Turbo Arrow III and Arrow IV to X-Plane 12, adding another impressive aircraft to their lineup of high-quality general aviation simulations. Known for their detailed recreations of aircraft such as the Arrow III and the C152, Just Flight’s Turbo Arrow III/IV raises the bar with its intricate modelling, advanced systems, and realism, all tailored to X-Plane 12’s capabilities.

This review will explore the visual fidelity, flight dynamics, systems, and overall experience of the Turbo Arrow series in X-Plane 12. Based on real-world flight data and feedback from pilots familiar with the aircraft, this model captures the distinctive turbocharged engine characteristics and handling, making it an excellent choice for pilots seeking a detailed simulation of these touring and instrument-training aircraft.
 
Note: For a more in-depth look at the features of the PA-28R series, including the original Arrow III, you can check out Stephen’s comprehensive review of the Just Flight/Thranda Designs PA-28R Arrow III for X-Plane 12 here. Many aspects, such as the high-quality modelling and systems, carry over into the Turbo Arrow III/IV, so this review focuses on what makes the turbocharged variants unique.
 
Installation
Installing the Turbo Arrow III/IV is straightforward. The download package is approximately 2.2 GB and unpacks to 3.1 GB after installation. Simply extract the files into the “Aircraft” folder within your X-Plane 12 directory. Once in the simulator, activate the aircraft using the provided serial key, and it’s ready to fly.

Documentation
Just Flight provides comprehensive documentation, including a detailed manual that outlines the aircraft’s specifications, panel guide, and procedures. The guide also covers the use of the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) and advanced systems like engine management, custom electrical systems, and weight and balance.
 

 
Additionally, an Operating Data Manual (ODM) is included, offering useful performance data such as take-off performance for various flap settings. Whether you’re an experienced sim pilot or a newcomer, the manual provides invaluable insight for operating the Turbo Arrow III/IV realistically.
 

 
External Modelling and Textures
The Turbo Arrow III/IV’s exterior is meticulously modelled using real-world aircraft plans and features high-resolution textures. While the external textures are of excellent quality, they are notably clean. Adding some general dirt and grime could enhance the immersion of a well-used aircraft. The attention to detail is evident in the rivets, panel lines, and subtle wear on the airframe. PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials add realistic reflections and surface details, further enhancing the model’s appearance under varying lighting conditions.
 


 
Static elements, plus other aircraft options such as the opening and closing of doors are toggled from Just Flight’s Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) (more on that later). 
 

 
Each livery, from the UK’s G-BYKP to the USA’s N-6919R, is recreated with care, showcasing the aircraft’s global appeal. The package includes three liveries for the Arrow III and an additional three for the Arrow IV. A template livery is also provided for those who want to create their own designs.
 



 
Cockpit and Interior
Inside the cockpit, the Turbo Arrow continues to impress. Every instrument is fully modelled in 3D, with smooth animations and authentic wear that reflects real-world usage. Key cockpit features include:
Detailed seat belts, screws, and upholstery.
Adjustable panel lighting for night flights.
VR compatibility, offering an immersive experience for VR pilots (untested by me due to lack of VR hardware).
Customizable avionics configurations, including the ability to pop out instruments for ease of use.
 

 
The cockpit textures are generally of high quality, though some areas, such as the footwell and roof, are of lower resolution. This appears to have been done for performance reasons, but it’s not a significant issue, as these are areas rarely noticed during normal operations. Prioritizing performance is critical, especially in X-Plane 12, and this balance is well maintained.
 

 
Avionics
The aircraft is IFR-capable, featuring a KMA 20 audio selector, KX 175B COM 2 / NAV 2 radio, KN 62 DME, and a KR 85 ADF unit. The GNS530 is fully integrated, supporting procedures out of the box and offering compatibility with Navigraph and Aerosoft databases. For those seeking an enhanced avionics experience, the aircraft also supports RealityXP’s GTN750.
 


Custom Systems
Engine Management: The turbocharged Continental TSIO-360 six-cylinder engine is modelled with realistic performance, including simulated spark plug fouling and vapor lock. These conditions are displayed on the EFB, providing insights and solutions for maintaining engine health.
Fuel and Electrical Systems: The custom fuel system includes an automatic tank-switching option for cross-country flights, while the electrical system features functional circuit breakers integrated with X-Plane’s native failure system.
Landing Gear: The retractable landing gear is equipped with detailed animations, accurate shock absorber movement, and an emergency extension system.
These accurately simulated systems, implemented by Just Flight, add a new level of immersion to this aircraft.
 
Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)
The EFB is a standout feature, offering a range of tools and customization options:
Aircraft Options: Enable or disable ground equipment, reflections, and advanced simulation features like engine wear and fouling.
Weight & Balance: Adjust payload and fuel directly within the EFB, with changes reflected in real time.
Instrument Options: Enable or disable GTN 750/650 integration (third-party), toggle popups for the GNS 530 and Century IV.
Engine Config: Monitor engine parameters, refuel the aircraft, and recharge the battery.
Livery Customization: Switch between static and dynamic liveries or create custom paint schemes on the fly.
Configuration: Toggle options such as engine running, automatic fuel switching, and adjust the flight model feel via the DynaFeel system.
Checklists: Interactive checklists cover all flight stages, including emergency operations.
Flight Computer: Displays a wealth of in-flight information, including temperature, ground speed, endurance, range, nautical and statute miles per gallon (NMPG/SMPG), density and pressure altitude (DALT and Press ALT), true airspeed, fuel flow, fuel used, and headwind/crosswind components, particularly useful for cross-country navigation.
 

 
Additional Shortcuts: Includes quick access to X-Plane 12 native menus, such as the logbook, ground handling window, and AviTab (if installed).
 
Flight Dynamics and Performance
The Turbo Arrow III/IV’s flight model is built using extensive real-world data and feedback from experienced pilots. While I haven’t flown this particular aircraft in real life, I do regularly fly a C152 for flight training and have some relevant experience in the handling and operation of general aviation aircraft.

That said, the PA-28R is a more powerful aircraft, with a heavier build and a low-wing design compared to the high-wing design of the C152 I’m used to. These differences naturally affect the flight characteristics and stability of the Turbo Arrow, offering a distinct experience for pilots transitioning from lighter, high-wing trainers.

Take-off and Climb
Take-offs in the PA-28R Turbo Arrow III and IV are smooth, with a recommended rotation speed of approximately 70 knots. The aircraft climbs steadily at around 90 knots, providing a realistic and predictable experience.
 

 
Cruise
Once airborne, the aircraft handles beautifully, performing exactly as expected for this class of aircraft, thanks to the fine-tuning by Just Flight and the excellent flight model in X-Plane 12. Setting the manifold pressure to 28 InHG and the RPM to 2,300 using the throttle and propeller lever respectively establishes a typical cruise. The aircraft flies smoothly and performs particularly well when practising power-on and power-off stalls, behaving as expected for a low-wing GA aircraft.
 


 
Landing and Ground Handling
Landing the PA-28R is a breeze. It handles very well, simulating the additional ground effect of the low-wing design, and the effects of adding flaps feel realistic. Ground handling is also well executed, making it fairly easy to maintain control during landings or take-offs.
The landing gear animations are excellent, with both fast and slow rotation sequences included, further enhancing immersion.

Overall, the aircraft performs as expected across all phases of flight, from taxiing to approach and landing. The ability to switch between the Turbo Arrow III and IV variants in real time is a unique feature, allowing pilots to appreciate the subtle differences between the two models.
 



 
Night Lighting
The Turbo Arrow III/IV features adjustable cockpit lighting which works well. The rheostat-controlled instrument lighting allows pilots to fine-tune their setup for comfortable night flying. However, as mentioned in Stephen's earlier review of the Arrow, the rear cabin is quite dark. 
 

 
Sound Design
Just Flight makes excellent use of X-Plane’s FMOD sound system to deliver an immersive audio experience. Engine sounds, switch clicks, and atmospheric effects are well-executed, with dynamic adjustments based on viewing angle and cockpit conditions. Opening a window or door changes the sound environment, adding an extra layer of realism.
 
The clickable headphone jack is a thoughtful touch, muffling and quietening the sounds to simulate wearing a headset in the cockpit. Overall, the audio design is fantastic, with the start-up and shutdown of the turbocharged engine being particular highlights.
 

 
Conclusion
Having spent the last few weeks putting Just Flight’s PA-28R Turbo Arrow III/IV for X-Plane 12 through its paces, I have to say the experience left me extremely impressed. Standout features like the detailed modelling, advanced systems, and immersive flight dynamics all combine to create an add-on that captures this iconic aircraft almost perfectly. The only minor improvement I can think of would be sharper cockpit textures, but as it stands, the Turbo Arrow III/IV is a must-have for X-Plane 12 users.

Whether you’re a student pilot like myself looking for a training platform, or an enthusiast seeking a realistic touring aircraft, this add-on delivers on all fronts.
________________________
 

 
The PA-28R TURBO ARROW III / IV XP12 by Just Flight - Thranda Design is now available from the X-Plane.Org Store here:
 
PA-28R TURBO ARROW III / IV XP12
Priced at $42.99
 
Features
MODEL
Accurately modelled PA-28R-201T Turbo Arrow III and PA-28RT-201T Turbo Arrow IV, built using real-world aircraft plans
Numerous animations including multi-animation passenger door that, when open, responds to G-forces and air resistance, baggage door, cockpit window and sun visors
Ground equipment including chocks and tie-downs
8k interior and exterior textures are used to produce the highest possible texture clarity
PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials with real-time environment reflections for superb quality and realism, completely reworked and upgraded for X-Plane 12
Detailed normal mapping for down-to-the-rivet precision of aircraft features.
EFB livery switcher for switching between the Turbo Arrow III and IV variants in real-time without needing to use the aircraft menu
X-Plane 12 native rain effects
COCKPIT
A truly 3D virtual cockpit right down to accurately modelled seat belts and screw heads - every instrument is constructed fully in 3D with smooth animations
Cockpit textures feature wear and tear based on reference photos taken in the real aircraft to produce an authentic environment
Tablet EFB with a selection of apps full of useful tools and customisation options:
Aircraft Options: Open/close the aircraft’s doors, enable/disable glass reflection, enable/disable ground equipment, and more!
Weight & Balance: Adjust the aircraft’s weight and balance using the built-in configuration app and centre of gravity table.
 Instrument Options: Choose to have the cockpit avionics visible in the 3D cockpit or pop them out on 2D panels.
Static Liveries: Change aircraft liveries without exiting to the main menu.
 Dynamic Liveries: Customise the aircraft’s paint scheme without leaving the aircraft. Features Modern and a Classic liveries whose  colours can be fully customised in the aircraft, without the need for any complicated paint kits.
Engine Configuration: View the condition of the engines and enable enhanced simulation options such as spark plug fouling and         vapour lock.
Thranda DynaFeel: Adjust the force required to move each of the control surfaces.
Checklists: Interactable checklists for every stage of flight.
AviTab support.
And much more!
Fully functional and comprehensive IFR-capable avionics fit including:
KMA 20 audio selector unit
Fully featured X-Plane-native GNS530 (supports procedures out of the box, and supports Navigraph and Aerosoft custom nav databases)
KX 175B COM 2 / NAV 2 radio
KN 62 DME unit which can display information from NAV 1 or NAV 2
Autocontrol IIIB autopilot unit with navigation, heading and roll hold (hidden autopilot altitude hold system included for convenience)
KT 76A transponder unit
KR 85 ADF unit
Support for RealityXP GTN750 (sold separately, Windows only)
Interactive logbook panel for logging your flight details (X-Plane native)
Yoke-mounted flight timer/clock
Independently operated left and right (standby) altimeter
GoodWay compatible
Ability to change barometric units from InHG to MB in altimeter adjustment
Pop-up autopilot window
Animated toe brakes
Functional throttle quadrant tensioning system
Radio knob animations routed through plug-in logic, for optimum movement fidelity and sound synchronisation
AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS
Custom-coded fuel system, including the option of automatic fuel tank switching for use on those long distance cross-country flights (this option is remembered for future flights)
Custom-coded electrical system with functional circuit breakers. Circuit breaker logic is linked to X-Plane's internal failure logic, so if the plane is set to fail a certain electrical component after a certain number of hours, the circuit breaker for that element will pop out.
Realistic landing gear system with intricate retraction animation, slow/fast tyre rotation animation (blurry when rotating fast), precise shock absorber animation with multiple linkages animated accurately, and wheel chocks and tie-downs
Functioning alternate air and static source controls
Fully implemented back-up landing gear system
Dedicated interactive engine EFB page for displaying values such as fuel tank weights and imbalance, fuel pressure, oil pressure, oil temperature, battery charge (with quick charge option), and information about spark plug fouling and vapour lock condition
Simulated vapour lock condition, with EFB warnings and suggested actions
Simulated spark plug fouling condition, with indication of percentage of fouling
Lighting system includes separate lighting control for gauges (via rheostat) and realistic implementation of navigation light / radio light rheostat
Functional electric trim control on yoke (requires electric trim button to be pushed)
Functional ELT which is automatically triggered above 4.6 G
Simulated fan and vent system with realistic blower sounds (linked to circuit breaker logic and electrical system for realism)
Custom external light logic with custom strobe light pattern and custom light halos for added realism
Requirements
X-Plane 12 (not for XP11)
Windows, Mac, or Linux
8 GB+ VRAM Recommended
Download Size: 2.1 GB
Current version: 1.0 (October 31st, 2024)
Discount info:
Customers who own the PA-28R TURBO ARROW III / IV XP11 can get this new XP12 version for 10% off. Discount will automatically be applied at checkout.
 
Review System Specifications
Windows 11, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, 32GB DDR5 RAM, RTX 3070Ti 
________________________
Aircraft Review by DrishalMAC2
21st December 2024
Copyright©2024: 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).