Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
MSFS add-ons: FSLTL, GSX Pro, REX AccuSeason (which may misrepresent some colours in certain light conditions)
FS2024 add-ons: none
DETAIL
This is a very small international airport but the detail is impressive, nonetheless. Ground textures across the board are very good, with the ground markings being exceptional. The terminal building looks superb, inside and out (it features virtually a full interior, with plenty of static people and some very cool animations). The jetways are entirely custom and connect with aircraft very snugly. The apron is alive with ramp workers, custom clutter and some beautifully animated custom vehicles (specific to Cayenne). Since this is one of very few airports to be FS2024 native, there’s particular attention to detail because it takes full advantage of the new sim’s ‘walkaround’ mode. Every staircase is nicely modelled and easily ascendable/descendable, while certain static objects block your path, forcing you to move around them.
The terminal’s landside is just as impressive, with a more-than-generous selection of static people, cars/buses and yet more custom assets — it really does give an air of hustle and bustle to the place.
The areas west and east of the terminal haven’t been neglected. They feature the same level of craftmanship and many of the buildings exhibit some fantastic weathering effects. It must be noted, however, that a lot of texturing across the scenery isn’t super-sharp, so will become slightly blurry-looking when you move in really close. Given the detail, I’m not surprised at the decision to use lower-res textures (note I say LOWER and not LOW) in places but, during normal airport operations, you’re not going to notice. On the military ramp west of the terminal, you’ll find several custom helicopter and aircraft models, as well as a few military vehicles.
PERFORMANCE
Average or perhaps even slightly below average for an airport of this size and detail, but still very good. Bear in mind there’s a lot going on (including those neat animations), particularly in the terminal, which has a mostly-glass façade. I’m guessing scaling back some of the textures has helped prevent more annoying performance issues. I didn’t notice any real difference in performance between MSFS and FS2024.
VERDICT
I’ve always liked SLH’s airports but never considered them a top-tier developer. Well, SOCA changes this stance, because a project like this is only possible with a very high degree of talent. This guy should really look outside the Caribbean because he’d be an even greater asset to the community if he were to broaden his horizons.
Cayenne is superb. All the little flaws are entirely understandable; not to mention barely noticeable. It offers a good detail/performance balance. If I were to nit-pick, I’d like to see some detail surrounding the airfield but, looking at Google Maps, SOCA does seem to be sort of stuck out in the middle of nowhere… so maybe there’s little detail to add? Naturally, the surrounding jungle looks much nicer in FS2024, though it doesn’t look bad in MSFS.
It’s currently on offer at various stores, as part of the A350 release sales (Simmarket, Contrail and IniBuilds). The most common visitors are A350s of both Air France and Air Caraibes, alongside regional flights by Air France A320s. Since it takes advantage of FS2024’s walkaround mode, I intend to make Cayenne my first destination with the new IniBuilds airliner! Arriving at SOCA looks and feels incredibly real, and SLH have promised big things in 2025… to which I’m most looking forward!
IMAGES (from FS2024)
