CITY UPDATE 15 — FULL PG HANGAR REVIEW & RATINGS NOW LIVE! 
After plenty of flying, testing, mapping and updating, the entire City Update 15 photogrammetry update has now been added to www.fspghangar.com
All CU15 ratings, descriptions, POIs, airport codes and PG coverage maps are now available across the MSFS 2024 list, MSFS 2020 list, PG Explorer, homepage search and PG Maps section.
The ratings below apply to both MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020.
CHICAGO — 10/10
Gold Standard
Mega City
Chicago has received one of the biggest improvements of CU15.
The photogrammetry coverage has been upgraded and extended, the previous problem areas have been repaired, and the city now offers superb quality across its enormous skyline and surrounding suburbs.
The roads, rivers and bridges look excellent, the Lake Michigan waterfront is brilliant, and the dense skyscraper district makes Chicago one of the best cities in the simulator for helicopter flying.
Main highlights:
• Willis Tower and the downtown skyscraper district
• Chicago River and its many bridges
• Navy Pier and the Lake Michigan waterfront
• Millennium Park and Cloud Gate
• Wrigley Field and Soldier Field
• Extended CU15 coverage around Cicero, Arlington Heights and Elgin
Chicago has risen from 7/10 to 10/10.
MINNEAPOLIS & ST PAUL — 10/10
Gold Standard
Mega City
The Twin Cities have been transformed by CU15.
The PG quality is now pristine, the coverage has been vastly expanded, and the roads, rivers and bridges are some of the cleanest I have seen in the update.
Minneapolis and St Paul offer two separate skylines connected by the Mississippi River, creating fantastic low-level VFR and helicopter routes.
KMSP also makes this a brilliant area for airliner approaches, general aviation flying and wider city exploration.
Main highlights:
• U.S. Bank Stadium
• Target Field
• IDS Center
• Stone Arch Bridge
• Mississippi River and its crossings
• Minnesota State Capitol
• Cathedral of Saint Paul
Minneapolis & St Paul have risen from 7/10 to 10/10.
MILWAUKEE — 10/10
Gold Standard
Mega City
Milwaukee is another huge CU15 success.
The update has vastly improved the quality of the PG buildings and extended the coverage across the city.
The Lake Michigan waterfront, compact skyline, industrial areas and distinctive landmarks make Milwaukee far more interesting to explore than it was before.
It is particularly enjoyable for helicopter and low-level VFR flying, with the waterfront and Hoan Bridge providing excellent visual references.
Main highlights:
• Milwaukee Art Museum
• Harley-Davidson Museum
• Fiserv Forum
• American Family Field
• Hoan Bridge
• Basilica of St. Josaphat
• Lake Michigan waterfront and harbour areas
Milwaukee has jumped from 5/10 to 10/10.
There are still a few areas where PG tiles can disappear or fail to load correctly, but the quality of the buildings themselves is excellent.
DULUTH — 8/10
Gold Standard
Duluth is the final CU15 PG city to be added to the rated lists.
The city features crisp photogrammetry, very nice roads, rivers and bridges, and a superb position overlooking Lake Superior.
The transition into the non-PG surroundings is not the best, but the city and waterfront are full of interesting areas to explore.
Duluth is especially good for coastal sightseeing, harbour flying and approaches around the steep terrain overlooking the lake.
Main highlights:
• Aerial Lift Bridge
• Canal Park
• Duluth Harbor and Port
• Enger Tower
• Glensheen Mansion
• Great Lakes Aquarium
• William A. Irvin museum ship
• Spirit Mountain
• Park Point and the Lake Superior shoreline
Duluth enters both lists at 8/10 and receives Gold Standard recognition for the quality of its PG buildings.
MADISON — CU15 COVERAGE MAPPED
Madison has also been tested and now has an updated CU15 PG coverage map on the website.
However, I have not awarded it a new main-list CU15 rating at this stage because some sections of the photogrammetry remain patchy, missing or can disappear as you approach them and it is still under the “Tiny PG City” category, but that could soon change.
I will continue monitoring Madison in case a future simulator update improves the remaining coverage issues.
CU15 PG HANGAR STATS
• 4 fully rated CU15 entries
• 3 cities awarded 10/10
• 1 city awarded 8/10
• 4 Gold Standard awards
• 3 Mega City awards
• Ratings completed for both MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020
• New or updated CU15 PG coverage maps added for every tested location
• Main website database now contains 302 rated PG cities
One of the biggest surprises from this update is just how much the photogrammetry building quality has improved. Chicago, Minneapolis & St Paul and Milwaukee are now genuinely among the nicest American cities to explore in the simulator.
CU15 also appears to have improved several bridges, waterfront areas, trees and difficult pieces of infrastructure. The main weakness remains the occasional sudden PG tile loading, missing blocks and sections that appear, disappear and then reappear while approaching certain areas.
Despite those remaining issues, this has been a very strong update overall.
THE FULL CU15 UPDATE IS NOW LIVE
Everything is now available at www.fspghangar.com including:
• Updated MSFS 2024 and MSFS 2020 ratings
• Full city descriptions and key POIs
• Original and latest PG coverage maps where available
• CU15 tags and Gold Standard awards
• Updated homepage search results
• Updated PG Explorer entries
Thank you to everyone who has followed the CU15 testing and updates. It has taken plenty of flying and checking, but the complete City Update 15 section is now live and ready to explore!
Happy flying! 
