Aircraft used: default 32N, LVFR 320, ATR, PMDG 738
Live weather: on
If LGAV were as stable as their KBOS, I think the two would tie for ‘best FlyTampa airport’. And although there have been improvements to LGAV with both SU13 and a recent dev update, it still falls a bit below KBOS in overall performance. But does that mean it’s bad?
DETAIL
I actually prefer the detail here over that at KBOS, but that’s simply because I like the geographical location of LGAV more (proximity of a major downtown aside).
The terminal and other buildings feel natural here. Everything ‘fits’ and nothing sticks out as not really belonging. The terminal and its landside look superb although as usual with FlyTampa, there are some questionable ground textures far too close to the decent detail for my liking. The landside is really well done and features animated people and a particularly nice lighting effect at night. There is a partial interior, again with animated people, but it’s something to peer in at while on stand rather than a detailed feature you’ll be keen to explore with the drone.
There’s a lot of terraforming that nicely represents the real airport, and this includes the many ditches that run between the aprons and runways. There’s a raised piece of terrain very close to the threshold of runway 21L that is a bit of a concern if you’re too low on approach, and some hilly areas at the opposite end you need to be conscious of.
The runways and taxiways are well detailed with good markings and signs of wear and tear. Ground clutter is plentiful.
What I really like is the modelling away from the terminal building which, unusually, doesn’t lose any quality. Textures remains at a good resolution (good rather than exceptional) and they’ve included a fair bit outside the perimeter fence, including a retail park north of the terminal and some sort of facility to the southeast. The Aegean and Olympic hangars look great and there’s an abundance of parked cars that are created in decent resolution. We also get an animated train and I really do get a kick out of parking my aircraft on one of the taxiway bridges and watching it zoom past beneath me! Those taxiway bridges, by the way, also look superb!
The one thing that really annoys me about this airport is that the perimeter fence doesn’t encompass the entire airfield — and in fact is noticeably absent from some crucial parts of the airfield, such as the car-park opposite the terminal. At FlyTampa’s LGAV, a passenger could very easily wander down from the train station, through the car-park and onto the taxiway without hindrance. It’s very small things like this that are actually in some respects quite a big deal.
PERFORMANCE
KBOS is FlyTampa’s best performing airport and it’s unfortunate that the recent developer update for LGAV didn’t bring it up to the same level of stability. It’s pretty stable and will take quite a bit of drone and exterior view punishment but it will eventually black screen or, worse, CTD. It’s certainly not terrible considering the detail but you should be a little wary about zooming around for a prolonged period with the drone, or excessively switching between external views. As for framerates I’ve had no issues — it’s silky smooth.
VREDICT
LGAV’s location, in a hilly area, makes flying here fun, and the approach to any runway is interesting. I love puddle-jumping in the ATR and the type is the backbone of aviation throughout Greece (42s and 72s operated by both Olympic and SkyExpress), with LGAV being the main base. I’d say this airport is worth a look even if you’ve little interest in Athens or Greece in general, however if you’re a big fan of ATR flying then it’s an absolute must! Most ATR flights within Greece are around 45 minutes and some of the scenery as you fly out to the islands and back is quite stunning. I really hope Greece one day gets the World Update treatment, although the default Greek scenery is some of the sim’s best.
IMAGES
That’ll keep 'em out! Much of the perimeter fence is missing in some crucial areas.
