Aircraft used: default 32N, AT7
Live weather: on
My experience with Pilot Experience Sim so far is limited to two products — Brest and Montpellier — both of which I’ve already reviewed and my opinion of each couldn’t be more different. So with their products currently discounted (mostly by around 50%) I decided to take a gamble on Ajaccio…
DETAIL
Thankfully LFKJ is far closer to the standard of the excellent Brest, rather than the comparatively awful Montpellier. As with Brest everything is high-res, except the landside parked cars and, oddly, a single section of one building. The terminal looks great — a good amount of weathering and the old and new control towers next door look exceptional! We get a decent terminal interior, although not as detailed as Brest. There are static passengers and the odd animated one. The interior looks a little dingy by day but very good by night.
All airside ground textures — including the runway — look great. Weathering, tyre-marks, cracks, spills, etc. The apron markings are good too, with weathered paint, but I think the red areas look a touch too bright. Apron clutter is plentiful but the majority of it is default (which doesn’t really have a negative effect on the aesthetics). The passenger walkways (no jetways here) look particularly nice, with their painted markings and bollards.
The landside road network is fairly basic but at least it’s modelled (unlike Montpellier). There’s terraforming here (as there is airside) and just enough detail to make it look interesting. There are road signs/markings, populated car-parks, a handful of people, trees, bus stops, barriers, kerbs, bollards, etc.
All peripheral buildings have been modelled, as have some around the airport perimeter — and, unusually, they all retain the high-res texturing seen at the main terminal area. The French postal building looks great with it’s custom yellow vans and there are some equestrian grounds to the north, complete with showjumping fences. Also in this area is the Corsican government’s water treatment plant.
On the eastern side of the airfield we find the Air Corsica hangar, which is nicely modelled and features an interior.
PERFORMANCE
Like Brest and Montpellier, Ajaccio runs superbly. No framerate drops and it’s solidly stable.
VERDICT
I really am having a hard time believing Brest and Ajaccio are by the same dev responsible for Montpellier. Montpellier has potential but there are that many flaws that just aren’t present in the former pair. Granted, Brest is the benchmark Pilot Sim Experience airport but this isn’t too far behind. It’s got some great detail, which is overwhelmingly high-res, and there’s quite a bit modelled around the exterior of the airfield. For added immersion, it also features the two floating buoys just offshore, which are brightly lit at night to guide incoming pilots.
The only thing I found to moan about is the Corse Helicopters building, which has part of its façade strangely done using low-res textures. But this really is a minor gripe and I’ve only mentioned it for thoroughness. I’d also say I’d like to have seen a couple of static airliners, as featured at Montpellier.
I certainly wouldn’t feel hard done by had I paid full price for this airport (i.e. around £12.50) — however at £5.79 (less than half-price!) it’s an absolute must, even if you don’t fly in France!
On a final, advisory note, it appears that, at some point recently, Pilot Sim Experience really upped their game. Montpellier was released at the end of 2020 and Bordeaux just a few months later, in summer 2021. Ajaccio was released spring 2022 — and Brest just recently — so I would say it’s best to avoid any Pilot Sim Experience airports released earlier than 2022 (unless the dev issues updates).
IMAGES
The terminal interior looks a bit drab in the day but far better at night.
The new control tower is nicely lit at night.
The only low-res texture I found — this wall, right-hand-side of the Corse Heli building.
