Aircraft used: PMDG 738
Live weather: on (but mostly clear skies)
DETAIL
One of the most beautifully detailed airports I own. The terminal building is fantastic — gorgeous textures inside and out (although the main concourse interior isn’t modelled in the Xbox release — just the piers) and plenty of fine details, such as the gate number signs atop the jetways. The ramp textures look a little clean and pale but airports in the southern USA often seem to feature aprons with these characteristics. Unusual for Ini’s complex airports for Xbox these days in the inclusion of a number of nice-looking static aircraft, including several SWA 737s, a couple of USAF Hercs and AAL/ACA 787s in the maintenance area. None of them are at the terminal so they won’t interfere with live traffic or LVFR’s static aircraft pack. One little detail that really caught my eye is a series of portable generators, each featuring an illuminated cross, which alert pilots to the fact that runway 31R/13L is now closed. They look good in the day but, boy, at night, they look so cool! There is also a large yellow ‘X’ painted at either end, further confirming the runway’s status.
The maintenance areas are superbly done (love the telegraph poles, complete with cables), as is the terminal landside. High-res textures throughout, and those gently swaying palm trees we first saw in (I think?) their LEIB scenery reappear here. Even the fire station has a small, detailed interior! The perimeter roads have all been modelled to some degree and the large intersection on finals to 04 looks impressive when on finals. Not content with stopping at the airfield perimeter, they’ve modelled many buildings quite a distance away from the airport, such as hotels, shopping malls, department stores, restaurants and petrol stations — all done in nearly as much detail as the primary terminal area.
The star of the show here, though, is the night lighting, which universally looks absolutely superb. The car rental hall looks incredible in the dark, with its alternating colours, and the terminal generally looks very authentic. The maintenance area has some lovely illuminated neon signs that are some of the most realistic I’ve seen in the sim. The runway/taxiway lights slightly illuminate the ground in their immediate vicinity — a feature I know has been done before in some airports, however it’s my first time seeing it with my own eyes.
PERFORMANCE
With all the praise above, it’s a touch disappointing to learn that performance isn’t this airport’s strongest point. It is resilient to CTDs, however black screens in the 737 are pretty common, not long after arrival. The LVFR and default 320s fare much better, with infrequent black screens that always seem to correct themselves after a minute or two. However the main issue isn’t black screens or CTDS, but stuttering when taxiing in the vicinity of the terminal or maintenance area (and even when a little further away, if the most detailed areas are in frame). The stuttering is actually some of the worst I’ve seen, but the one saving grace is that it’s kept to a bare minimum during final approach. It only seems to really become a bit of a pain when you’re on the deck.
VERDICT
Given some of the fine detail, I’m beginning to accept the stuttering. It’s annoying but not a deal breaker. Same with the black screens which, after several landings and take-offs now, haven’t actually triggered a crash. I wouldn’t say it’s THE most detailed airport I’ve ever seen but it strikes an excellent detail balance with some super-sharp texturing and those well-done landside areas; and it includes some really neat features I’ve not yet seen in any other scenery. If I were to make one recommendation, it’d perhaps be to downsize some of the textures for some of the objects further away from the airport, in order to improve performance. But there are far worse airports for stability, some of which aren’t as rich in detail. I certainly don’t regret my purchase, particularly as it was on sale.
