I knew about the World Hub, but I did a very poor job of tracking what was being done within it. Then 2024 happened and the World Hub was placed on ice, and I’d completely forgotten about it and its purpose.
I just landed the CT210N at O26 in 2024 and discovered, to my absolute joy and surprise, that this airport had been hand-crafted by someone’s contribution to the World Hub.
As I taxied in from the runway — which is a good distance away from the airport buildings and parking — I was completely confused by all the detail I was seeing, because I have landed here in the past and it was just an auto-gen, at that time. I had no idea these World Hub contributions were included in 2024.
What a really, really cool bit of generosity and care these contributors have shared with us here.
Interesting. I did the World Hub edit for Lone Pine (O26), which needed a lot of work from the stock 2020 version. However, the World Hub did not allow for direct placement of buildings or any sort of custom textures. So, in short, I didn’t place that hangar and I doubt any other WH editor could have, either. Unless that hangar is autogen, I wonder if this one was actually a bespoke creation specifically for 2024.
It has a significant amount of detail. Airport structures with stenciled signage, various vehicles that aren’t your typical auto-gen placement, a significant number of gliders and glider trailers, etc.
If this is related to gliders, was there a published list of glider-based hand-crafted airports??
Ah, I bet that’s it. I’ve also noticed other gliderports have a bit more detail.
It’s interesting Williams, CA (CN12), is a private airport that does have a soaring center on the field. Unsurprisingly, it’s also the closest airport to a glider symbol on the sectional chart. Same for Lone Pine. However, Saint David Glider Field in Arizona doesn’t seem to exist in the real world. I wonder what criteria were used to get the special treatment.
