Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Add-ons: FSLTL, GSX Pro, REX AccuSeason (which may misrepresent some colours in certain light conditions)
SBCT is Flyt’s second commercial airport in Brazil (following the excellent Jericoacoara) and their first international example. It is one of the country’s ten busiest airports and so a significant addition to the sim. Currently only available for MSFS (reviewed here) but a 2024 version is on the way.
DETAIL
As always I chose to start my look at a new airport by flying in from afar — or not that ‘afar’ in this case, electing to operate a flight from nearby (in aviation terms) Congonhas in darkness.
I have to admit, I was impressed the moment the wheels touched the tarmac. The place just has so much atmosphere — the night-lighting is incredible — but of course one can’t fully evaluate an airport in the dark so after pulling onto stand I changed the time to midday. Yep… still impressed! The texture-work across the board is simply fantastic. I’m reminded of Flightbeam and Paulo Ricardo here, in how photoreal and weathered the textures appear, but everything’s crisper. Believe me when I say, this could be the most photorealistic airport ever released for a flight simulator. It really is that good! Photoreal textures are, of course, all well and good but without a high level of detail to match, an airport can look quite stale. Thankfully, the abundance of fine detail more than complements the sublime modelling — tons of high-res custom ramp clutter, tons of high-res custom landside clutter, and a populated terminal interior (airside only) that really is something special. I won’t go into detail as there’s so much to discover, but I guarantee this scenery’s going to get even the very fussiest simmer salivating. Check out the screenshots if you want an idea of what to expect…
The only disappointment my switch to daylight revealed is a perimeter fence that only encompasses half the airfield. Just when I thought I was reviewing my first perfect scenery add-on… 
Oh well… I guess the search for perfection continues. But Flyt’s SBCT certainly isn’t far off.
PERFORMANCE
Given the level of detail, I honestly thought I’d get a few stutters. But the scenery performs solidly. Do note, however, that I have a pretty high-end machine — I wouldn’t be surprised if it presents a few fps issues for those with lower-spec PCs. That said, there’s no PG in the vicinity, and despite it being one of Brazil’s busiest airports, we’re not talking Heathrow or JFK here.
VERDICT
The last World Update gave many a great excuse to fly in Brazil but it must be noted that there are relatively few superlative developers making airports in the country. Most Brazilian devs (Geardown, Heaven Designs, Brazil Land Games, et al) offer decidedly mediocre stuff but Paulo Ricardo’s work is renowned for its quality. Thankfully, Flyt have proved they too can offer premium scenery and their next two Brazilian projects are confirmed, one of which will be a more significant airport than Curitiba.
Curitiba city features no fancy PG but when you have an airport of this quality, it shouldn’t matter. SBCT does 99% of things exceptionally well — it features the most realistic textures, perhaps the best apron GSE (although it’s not animated), a fabulous terminal interior, a fully modelled/detailed landside and surprisingly decent performance. It works great with FSLTL, too. The only real flaw I can find is half the airfield perimeter fence missing but such is the overall quality that I’m less aggrieved by this that I would ordinarily be. I suppose if I really had to nit-pick, I’d like to see the landside portion of the terminal developed, but that would be more a vanity project than something that would demonstrably boost immersion.
If you have any interest whatsoever in flying in Brazil, you need this airport. If you have zero interest in Brazil, but want an insanely detailed, super-quality airport (maybe for bragging rights?), you need this airport. In fact, it’s THE airport you never knew you wanted!
Ground textures: 9/10
Building textures: 10/10
Apron clutter: 10/10
Terminal interior: 9/10
Outdoor landside detail: 10/10
Jetway connection: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
FSLTL compatibility: 10/10
GSX compatibility: profile currently unavailable
Night-lighting: 10/10
Overall immersion: 10/10
IMAGES
