Aircraft used: LVFR 320, PMDG 738
Live weather: on
Northern Sky recently released two more Alaska sceneries within the space of just a couple of weeks, Sitka being the first of the two (the other, Petersburg, was too new to be involved in the Black Friday autumn sale).
My previous experience with Northern Sky really put me off — pre-SU13, Juneau would barely run for a minute without crashing — but are things any different following that update, with a newer, possibly better optimised airport?
DETAIL
This has to be one of the most beautiful airports available for the sim. It really does have that magic touch that almost puts you there, in that cold, icy Alaskan air!
I always like to spawn elsewhere and fly into a new airport from afar — there’s a certain excitement doing it this way, juxtaposed with tension and the nagging feeling that expectations might not be met. It’s rather like being a 6-year-old on Xmas Day, catching the first glimpse through the inky, early-morning darkness at what Santa’s left for you!
As I made my approach aside snow-topped peaks I could see the airfield emerging from the mist; before it several small, pine-laden islands leading the eyes towards a runway sitting atop a shallow, man-made plateau. As I got closer the superb detail in the rocks became increasingly clear, and off to my right I could make out an imposing bridge and a marina filled with small yachts.
As the tyres graced the asphalt I could see all the beautiful runway detail, admiring it until I had to exit the runway at the far end. As I taxied to stand I glanced at the US Coast Guard building and its static red choppers off to my left, my eyes glued to the line of various buildings that would eventually culminate in the finely-detailed terminal building.
The entire approach and landing was done in external view and once on stand I hurriedly swapped the left-hand seat for the drone. A quick look around the terminal landside areas, then into the building to have a nosy at what was going on.
The terminal interior is one of the best I’ve seen. It’s a pretty small terminal but, boy, it’s decked out with gorgeous modelling and textures! Everything’s 3D, and there’s not a single medium or low-res texture to be found! Even the static passengers look good close up! Custom everything, including flooring, carpets, light fittings and ceilings.
The whole airport is done to the same standard, although the static vehicles aren’t the very best I’ve seen. My only complaint (and it’s not really a complaint) is that this dev doesn’t really do much away from the main terminal areas, save for a few outbuildings, antennae, etc. That said, perhaps these remote Alaskan airports literally sit alone in their environments?
PERFORMANCE
Yup, here’s the catch — it ain’t perfect. But having now bought and installed every Northern Sky Alaskan airport except Petersburg, I can attest to Sitka being one of the better ones (perhaps THE best). My first landing, done entirely using external views and with live weather on, was a success and the 10 minutes’ drone use that followed didn’t result in black screens (with the 737). However a couple of subsequent flights, with live weather off, were more troublesome, both leading to black screens and one triggering a CTD. I do find it odd that the two later flights were completed early evening, once the schools had finished and folks were getting home from work — it’s as if busier server times do indeed have some sort of impact on performance and stability.
So the jury’s out, given that hassle-free initial flight. But I think it’s safe to say, it’s not flawless.
VERDICT
This is an airport I REALLY want to work well. So much so that I contacted the dev, who told me that he is planning to optimise all his scenery for Xbox by lowering the texture resolution to reduce VRAM usage. I’m keeping this airport regardless but if he can do that, I’ll be one very happy camper! It’s a stunning piece of work, in a beautiful, rugged part of the world. Everything about it feels Alaskan and all the superb detail just fits so naturally.
Re the dev’s Alaskan collection, I’d say Sitka is second only to Juneau in terms of detail — and the only reason Juneau wins is due to the airport’s larger size. Sitka’s my favourite Alaskan airport by NSS, without a doubt — it just brings everything I like together into one package.
But it’s not without issues, and I desperately hope that the dev can come up with a timely solution for console simmers. A bit less stress on memory and this collection of remote but vital airfields could be right up there with the best anyone else can offer in 2023.
I rarely recommend airports that trouble the Xbox’s limited memory but this is one of very few exceptions. I’m happy to mostly remain in the cockpit so as not to provoke it but my very first flight is proof that it can run pretty well even when stressed. I can’t tell you how much it troubles me to know that such a beautiful scenery isn’t currently living up to its full potential.
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