TigerTigerM

Oddly, overnight I received an email from one of Orbx's primary competitors, entirely focused on Nordic destinations! TTM

I'm probably preaching to the choir on this one, but my unsolicited observation on the MSFS World Update V, tentatively scheduled to drop June 15 though 29, 2021, is that it is a great marketing opportunity for Orbx Bromma. There will be increased interest in Scandinavia after the release & it is to be hoped that Bromma can take advantage of this interest. I don't know whether Asobo give Orbx an early look at World Updates. If they do & you can test Bromma against the pre-release, [if it is ready to go], then a concurrent release with the World Update should garner attention & hopefully, more sales. No pressure. TTM

Smkt. Currently on Sale. They also have a sleek Ryan ST-A Special, but I have spent my current allowance. TTM

With a certain amount of temerity. TTM

Undeterred I ventured out again & remembered something from flying the Spitfire - take off with no flap! The C430 flaps are a pair of French stable doors worked into the wing. Massive. So a ton of drag is provided. I departed with zero flap & successfully lifted off. I don't think the engine is overly hot rodded so the take off run was reasonably lengthy, but I cleared the fence at Shoreham & did a circuit & landed. TTM (MSFS) Up & away! The rail bridge. Do Orbx trains traverse this?? A room with a view. I was rather hoping the expanse behind the dashboard wasn't a fuel tank, in case of an 'arrival'! Someone needs to cut the grass! Sat here for a couple of minutes looking for the phone number of a dry cleaner & did observe many vehicle movements on the aprons, including the infamous fork lift, looking for something to impale!

It has been a somewhat expensive long weekend & I am grateful for Orbx's discounts & sales. I started with Catalina Airport, then I had another look at EGKA, (Shoreham), as I liked the look of it & the 3 runway set up, which, I understand, goes back to WWII to allow landings regardless of wind direction. Then there is it's Art Deco heritage & it's location by the sea with a river flowing past. So it is an interesting airport to operate from & handy for jaunts to France. I also added LPVL, (Maia-Vilar de Luz airport), near Porto, as I discovered it has a 7,500' runway & when I looked at the map of my current holdings I realized it is nicely placed for long hauls into different parts of Europe, & Scandinavia. Thirdly I also took up CYBD, (Bella Coola), as it was one I enjoyed in P3D, plus a tweaked Stewart was thrown in. Finally I added an aircraft, a Caudron-Rafale 430 by Bluemesh, who I have never heard of, but in MSFS these days that is not unusual. From the marketing information: "The Caudron C.430 "Rafale" is a two-seater monoplane (or single-seater by closing the front seat), built by the company Caudron-Renault. It was designed by Marcel Riffard for the training of pilots who had to use racing machines like the Caudron C.362 or C450/460". Being a bit of a sucker for vintage and/or unusual aircraft, it caught my eye. The visual quality & sounds are very good. I have a few shots from Shoreham, where I endeavored to take flight. I admit that I haven't quite got it sorted yet & need a longer runway than the one I initially chose. I hope Estuary water in which it got a dunking won't dissolve it overnight! Shoreham reeks of a bygone age, as does the Caudron, & I trust I can put together a successful mating of the too, in the sense that I can take it off & land it there! TTM (MSFS) Instruments helpfully labelled in French. I just read the numbers. Side on, very sleek. Note the tail skid. I need to keep off tarmac. The throaty exhaust sound exits via the pipes, LHS of the engine bay. Prop position suggests the engine is inverted? Taxiing out, grinding the tail skid down. Flaps are fairly massive & it can 'duck' wobble as you get up to speed prior to take off.

I took a Goose out to find Avalon on Catalina Island. (I wonder if the name influenced the Roxy Music song?) Went the wrong way & circumnavigated most of the Island! It's big, & a there is lot of scrub that has been nicely represented by T&K. A few shots from the adventure. TTM (MSFS) Heading anti-clockwise around the island. I think I have Hendrik's boat collection installed. Cutting the corner up a gulley to locate Avalon Over the top & Avalon is on the RHS. Landing near the cruise ship. Shot past the cruise ship & ended up near a trawler.

Great set Carlos, with many inventive angles chosen. Your shot 5 illustrates something which I have noticed & that is MSFS has yet to get the 'tops of trees' showing correctly. At the moment, particularly with trees on ridge lines, there is a 'scarecrow' effect, or unnatural distribution of the top branches. (Refer the 2 right hand side trees in shot 5) It can look like someone blasted the top of a tree with a shotgun, leaving jagged remains. IMHO it needs Orbx HD trees as OHD in P3D is excellent as regards 'realistic' tree tops. BYW, shot 10 is a stunner! TTM

Stunning set. Luminar sky in all of them? It works really well in last shot as regards coloration. 4th shot down, is that vapor trail Luminar or the new AI vapor trails from the recent MSFS update?? TTM

Great scenery, which I will explore at leisure. I thought the Michigan car might have been a visitor. TTM

Having unknowingly loaded the wrong Catalina, I dispatched it to the Bin & brought forth the correct Catalina, Orbx's version. A few shots from around the Airport. TTM (MSFS) Ken & Tim do some of their best detail work behind buildings. I can confirm the waste & recycle bins are genuine Waste Management items. The 2 door building behind is probably chiller storage. The blue car is a Dodge Challenger SRT, perhaps a Hellcat? The question is, is the lady on the right The Lady In Red? I did not realize Bison were on Catalina Island Interestingly, the red car has a Michigan number plate. Looking in from the West.

Chalk's International Mallard, from the Milton Shupe Team, leaving KSAN for a flight up the SoCal coast. TTM (P3D v4.5)

Sublime use of slanted light! TTM

I went back to Catalina Island in P3D, looking for The Lady in Red. & yes, she was still waiting for a lift. It looks as if she is giving someone an earful on her cellphone. Still trim as ever, delicious in red, & no doubt totally color coordinated. But I draw your attention to the Trans Catalina G-73 Mallard waiting for her to board. I originally pulled a Grumman Goose from the back of a hangar, but found it was missing a Panel.cfg, so I thought I would try the Mallard. It is a Milton Shupe FSX port over & very nicely done. Even has an AP. Once I figure out how to raise & lower the pontoons I'll take it for a flight. [Addendum- it looks like the Mallard has the wing pontoons fixed in the 'down' position. I have also just seen video of a twin turbine version, but I think the radials look more in character, & the sound of the radials is superb. TTM (P3D v4.5)

In the 2nd shot, if you look through the doors at Gate 2 that lead to the concourse, they appear to actually open straight over the parking area. ie if they opened & you left the waiting area to go to the aircraft you would drop straight down to the ground below. As evidenced by the baggage? truck visible though the Gate 2 door's glass. TTM

+1 on this. There is a very popular freeware 'Goose' out there & I am sure Catalina, with appropriate docking, would be a magnet for it. & an added incentive is that the Developer is also from The Land Down Under. TTM

A strong SoCal/Spanish/Mediterranean design influence vibe going on here with obviously a lot of fine detail work encapsulated in the various POI's scattered around the island & at the airport buildings. The island map for instance, in shot 5, is a nice touch, & the custom vegetation helps build a vacation location ambiance. Plus I note a strong nautical focus round the coast line with boats & artifacts coming in for attention. The land looks different to the stellar P3D version, more bleached, which could be due to the MSFS light.(refer last pic.) The upshot of all of this is that it is a Day 1 & it is one that I will be exploring on foot & by car as I suspect there are nuggets tucked all over the place. Being able to bring a BN-2 in here or the Seneca, adds to the attraction. Yes, it's a lump of rock & dirt stuck out in a swirling ocean. From way off it cuts, perhaps, a bland figure. Yet close up & circumnavigated, I am reminded of a vintage gold ring encircled with sparkling diamonds on its perimeter with a ruby in the center. Another classic from Ken & Tim, but chaps, something is missing! Where is The Lady in Red? TTM

Stunning set of eclectic perspectives for this long long long awaited airport, that will no doubt be a classic in the Orbx portfolio. I was going to say that I hope it is released in my life time, but then again, bring superstitious, I won't. TTM

Nice building centric set Iain. TTM

Excellent series. I am lost, what is 'NZA'? TTM

They are, in real life. TTM

During the Hokitika trip, from Westport, I thought I would look in on Martins Bay. Had quite a bit of trouble finding it. I think you will see in the 3 shots below that the NZ Mesh is doing a nice job with hills. TTM (MSFS)

No problem Iain. The hills where this shot was taken are low foothills & IMHO looked sharper than the original MSFS mesh, so it doesn't have to be mountains to highlight the improvement. TTM

NZ Mesh finally installed after the 'Influencers' gave it the thumbs up. This is the flavor of the moment BBS BN-2 in a Mt Cook Airline livery by John O'Duffy. Flying down the West Coast from Westport to Hokitika, late afternoon. Now I can do screenshots from anywhere in NZ, great! TTM (MSFS)

Superb set. I must take a look myself. TTM