Aircraft used: ATR, LVFR 320
Live weather: on
DETAIL
In hindsight, I probably should have purchased SLH’s second scenery before all the later ones as I have to admit to being slightly underwhelmed when I first arrived at TFFR. It’s far from bad but when you’ve been treated to the likes of Terrance B. Lettsome and Robert L. Bradshaw, the bar is set high…
This is noticeably more basic in detail than later SLH projects but there’s still some very nice modelling/texturing here. It just feels a little less alive, despite LVFR’s static aircraft pack working a treat. Maybe it’s because it’s a bigger airport (the larger the airport, the less detail there usually is, overall) but not significantly so.
There is still plenty to like, however, and the terminal generally looks good, both airside and landside. Its airside portion actually features some really nice work on the concrete support pillars, and the interior’s decent too. In these areas, there’s not too much to distinguish if from the more recent airports. But moving landside, there’s definitely a difference. It feels more sparse and there are way too many identical trees that are arranged with an unrealistic uniformity. That said, the trees themselves are pretty good. Texture quality is, thankfully, high throughout.
Ground textures are good but I don’t find them quite as pleasing as those at Lettsome, Lloyd and Bradshaw. And unlike those airports, TFFR is quite clearly partly situated in an urban area, at its RWY30 end . It would have been nice to have seen some development here but we are not totally devoid of surrounding modelling as there is a very nicely done road bridge just northwest of the RWY12 threshold. It’s pretty imposing and so adds a touch of immersion to approaches from the west.
PERFORMANCE
As with all SLH airports I’ve so far tested, TFFR’s performance and stability are commendable — making the slightly inferior detail much more palatable. Besides, in communications with the dev, this should be the first airport to receive an update, later this year, to bring it in line with the more recent offerings. I just hope he doesn’t go overboard, like some devs do, and introduce problems for Xbox users.
VERDICT
If you wish to add to or complete your Caribbean collection, you’re probably going to want SLH’s Pointe-a-Pitre. It’s a decent airport, no doubt, but it will come as a slight disappointment if you’re expecting exactly the same level of detail as, say, TKPK or TUPJ. That said, stability is rock solid, it’s the only SLH airport at which LVFR’s static pack does anything, and that road bridge west of the airport is an impressive piece of modelling! I’d say it’s perhaps on the pricey side at full whack but it’s certainly satisfactory at sale price. On a final note, that there’s a v2 coming this year should make this a futureproof investment.
IMAGES
To follow…