Test machine specs: MSI X670E, AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D, AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX, 48gb RAM
Reviewed for: FS2024 (native product)
Add-ons: FS Traffic, GSX Pro
DETAIL
Having bought every Pacsim airport since (and including) KSLC, I pretty much knew what to expect with KRDU. And I’ve not been disappointed, with the airport slightly exceeding my expectations in most areas.
The terminal is the obvious jewel in the crown: a beautifully modelled exterior with plenty of fine detail and weathering effects. There are even internal GSE storage areas modelled… with contents! There really isn’t much else to say about a building finished to this standard. The interior is decent but, in my opinion, doesn’t quite match the quality of the outside — particularly since there are no people — but it does the job it was intended to do. Worth noting that the window tint is very convincing in the daytime, with an obvious variation in ambient light as you move through the glass (an effect less pronounced at night).
The ground textures across the airfield are very good (possibly a little clean on the taxiways and parts of the runways but that tends to be a feature of FS2024, I’ve noticed), with the markings being even better. The runway shows wear-and-tear in the form of tyre-marks and patchwork repairs.
Out on the apron there’s a superb exhibition of GSE clutter, all of it custom and done to a high standard.
The airport’s landside areas are mostly fully modelled and the cars parked in the car-parks in the central area are custom. Even the lower levels of the multi-storeys have bay markings, etc., despite being tucked away, largely out of sight. There are, sadly, no people outside either terminal entrance/exit but I expected this, based on Pacsim’s other airports. It’s not a deal breaker but a few static people people models do add a touch of immersion without resulting in a performance penalty.
Exploring the airfield’s peripheral areas, the quality of the texturing takes a slight dip in places but this seems to be typical practice, presumably to bolster performance. That said, the Atlantic building is done in great detail and features a fully-modelled interior. The cargo buildings have also received a lot of love (equal to the terminal) and boast more of that lovely custom GSE. On the isolated North Carolina National Guard ramp we’re treated to some fantastic static helicopter models (two types, one of which is the Apache) and a fleet of military trucks.
The night-lighting is excellent, though I think the visuals of the new sim help a lot in this area. My only (minor) complaint is that the well-modelled perimeter fence goes AWOL as you begin to move away from the primary facilities. Again, not a deal breaker but an all-encompassing fence would be nice, even if it were extremely basic. The only other anomalies are the beacon atop the tower being suspended in midair, and some terrain tile shift as you move across the airfield (which only manifests at a certain height and can be mitigated by deleting the scenery’s CGL folder). The latter is more a sim issue than a developer oversight but deleting the CGL file does of course mean you revert to the standard ground imagery, rather than retain Pacsim’s high-res custom overlay.
PERFORMANCE
Earlier Pacsim airports (e.g. KSLC) could be a bit resource-hungry but KRDU runs fantastically, even with the new Fenix BFU and plenty of FS Traffic aircraft milling around. I really wasn’t expecting this scenery to be as smooth as it is. I’m also impressed by how this airport behaves with AI traffic (I’d go as far as to say it’s the best I’ve yet seen in 2024).
VREDICT
KRDU is another solid release from Pacsim. Yes, it does suffer some minor niggles but they shouldn’t come as a shock to the dev’s regular customers, who by now surely know what they’re getting for their money. I have in the past not shied away from criticising some texture-work I’ve felt is a bit too ‘clean’ — but while there’s a touch of repetition here (not that you’ll notice unless you go looking), it’s very hard to pick fault with the majority of the texturing. I always believe certain decisions are made for certain reasons so, bearing in mind how well this scenery runs on my system, I’m not going to criticise the small number of corners that appear to have been cut. If I had to make a single improvement suggestion, it would be to add static people to the terminal interior and outdoor landside.
KRDU was an airport sorely missing from the simulator and there aren’t too many developers I’d have chosen over Pacsim to take it on. Let’s hope they one day do both KPIT and KCLT!
On a final note, I always used to consider Pacsim’s airports quite expensive but, given the recent price hikes, they’re now pretty much in line with other top developers. There are far worse (and smaller) airports for your $22.
Ground textures: 8/10
Building textures:9/10
Apron clutter: 10/10
Terminal interior: 8/10
Outdoor landside detail: 7/10
Jetway connection: 9/10
Performance: 10/10
AI traffic compatibility: 10/10
GSX compatibility: 10/10
Night-lighting: 8/10
Overall immersion: 9/10
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