Aircraft used: Default 32N, LVFR 320, AT7
Live weather: on
I’ve always considered Orbx a pretty solid dev who generally put out decent stuff. They have a dedicated development team but also act as an umbrella for a number of smaller, individual (indie) devs — and whether the product is excellent or average depends on who’s created it. Luckily, Skiathos is by Italian indie dev Matteo Veneziani, who has a proven track record of creating detailed, reliable scenery.
DETAIL
Excellent. The terminal looks great, despite having no interior modelling whatsoever. The landside areas are populated with vehicles and passengers and the surrounding road network has been nicely created. The apron and runway look good and we get a handful of static airliners, which benefits us Xbox users as LVFR’s static aircraft pack leaves LGSK untouched.
Away from the terminal we see a lot of detail, particularly around the end of runway 01, which is the end closest to Skiathos town (which, incidentally, has been completely modelled). The famous bar is there, featuring customers seated around tables… drinks in hand! Just east is the bar’s car-park, complete with stone wall — on top of which are stood a number of spectators. There are some decent car and bike models in the car-park, too. From here, the runway end is literally just a few metres away! Further east we have the makeshift harbour, which features boats both on land and in the water — plus a small cargo ship in close proximity to the runway.
The custom modelling continues along the coastal road into town (which is only a 15 minute walk away), and includes a restaurant that’s been converted from an old windmill, close to the airport. Once in town we are treated to a full promenade, shops, bars and a few tourist attractions, plus a small ferry docked at the marina. A few people are dotted about, too.
Despite most of the attention being given to the end of runway 01, Orbx have included the beach bar at the opposite end. The runway here is elevated way above the beach, restricting the view of departing airliners, and this area’s more off the beaten track, resulting in fewer casual visitors. Still, we see tables and chairs, plus sunloungers and even bathers.
PERFORMANCE
Performance and stability are flawless. I don’t recall ever having black screens and it’s certainly never triggered a CTD.
VERDICT
Skiathos in real life is a fun airport, and that fun element has been faithfully captured here. The runway is quite short, only capable of handling 737s and A320 family aircraft (although 757-200s did operate when they were common in Europe). Landing runway 01 is thrilling, with the approach putting you incredibly close to Skiathos Town, off to the left, and the small harbour, over to your right. Airliners come in VERY low indeed over the small car-park by the bar so you’ll need to be careful not to scalp anyone stood on the wall there! On the flip side, don’t float down the runway for too long, unless you want to end up over a cliff-edge and in the sea!
Definitely worth adding to your collection, even if you’re not familiar with the place. Recreating those low approaches is such fun, and the great level of detail really helps to give the immersion a boost!
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