Orbx Unveils Pacific Northwest Video

Cody Bergland of Jaggyroad Films just released his latest opus, a preview of Orbx’s upcoming FTX NA Blue: Pacific Northwest scenery. Not only do you get stunning views of this gorgeous part of the world (though I may be biased), but also a couple of peeks at the first two payware airports designed to fit within it – 1S2 Darrington Municipal, and 7S3 Stark’s Twin Oaks (okay, I’m definitely biased). Watch it below, sure, but this is one that’s worth downloading the high res version.

Fanboy Friday: Freeware and Previews Galore

Friday, again!? Honestly, where does the time go? Well, I know where most of mine went this week, and that’s to putting the detail touches on Twin Oaks Airpark for ORBX. While I was hip-deep in that, wonder what else was going on in the FS universe…

Introducing Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark

This one has been a long time in the making, but the preview pics are finally available. My first project for Orbx is nearing completion: 7S3: Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark. It’s designed to fit seamlessly into the upcoming FTX NA Blue Pacific Northwest scenery, but it’ll stand alone as well.

If ever there was a small airport that captured the spirit of GA flying in America, this is it. From the official blurb:

Nestled in the rolling farmland of the fertile Willamette Valley near Portland, Oregon, Stark’s Twin Oaks Airpark is ideally located for sightseeing in the Pacific Northwest. The rural location makes for less traffic and a relaxed atmosphere, while providing an easy jumping-off point for flights to either the coast to the west, or the rugged peaks of the Cascade range to the east.

The scenery includes a large area of 30cm/pixel aerial photoreal terrain, featuring the various orchards, Alpaca ranches, and small farms in the area. One special point of interest is the massive Glacier rock quarry, located a few miles to the southeast of the field. It deftly shows the sim possibilities when high-resolution terrain mesh is matched with detailed and meticulously color-corrected aerial photography. The high-quality mesh also makes another appearance, in what is quite possibly a first for an FS airport: multiple elevations. Twin Oaks is carved from the side of a gentle slope, and as a result, the Starks’ house, garage, and two of the hangars are on a hill overlooking the rest of the field. Lead developer Bill Womack has obsessively researched and photographed the airport over the last few years, with the enthusiastic support of owners Bob and Betty Stark. We’re proud to offer the definitive sim rendition of one of Oregon’s aviation jewels.

Check out the preview pics here. And while you’re at it, have a look at the other releases planned for both North America and Australia.

Who’s Ready to Explore Alaska?

Yep, it’s finally time. After years of development and months of testing, a big patch of SE Alaska is finally available for you FSX bush pilots…

Tongass Fjords for FSX – Progress

Sometimes when I’m deep in a scenery project, I forget to say hi now and then to my blog readers. Very sorry for that, but at least I have a decent excuse… Tongass Fjords for FSX is nearing completion. Originally, I thought all I would do would be to update a few models to FSX standards and hit “export”, then toss it over the wall to our virtual bush-flying fans. Then Holger Sandmann found some great aerial shots of Sitka, Alaska and I ended up going much deeper into re-working the town than I expected.

Now the same has happened with Petersburg. I got some more shots from a few guys who frequent the Sim-Outhouse forums, and that helped me get a better idea of what the harborfront is like there, so I dove into adding some more models. I’ve attached a few shots to show how things stand now. Soon, my friends! Very soon…

CYVR Plans for FSX Canceled

After mulling over our options for a while now, Jon Patch and I have decided to cancel our plans to create Vancouver Int’l Airport for FSX. The reasons are many, but primarily for me it came down to priorities. I’m working on Emma Field X and Tongass Fjords at the moment. Both are small fields with a lot of character, which is the sort of project I enjoy most. I’m looking forward to putting my full efforts behind those projects for now. Jon is also hip-deep in some new modeling for the upcoming Misty Fjords X, so you’ll be getting a lot of new goodies from both of us soon enough!

The Dillingham Buzz – Day One

Dillingham has been on sale for almost 24 hours now, so I thought I’d give a sampling of what’s being said around the Web:

Avsim Forums:
Glider Fun!!

Simflight Forums:
Brand New Scenery!
Dillingham Released!

Sim-Outhouse Forums:
Geez Bill – This ROCKS!!!!

PC Aviator Forums:
Aerosoft Dillingham with MegaScenery Hawaii, First Impression

Aerosoft Forums:
Dillingham wow
Release: Hawaii DillinghamX

So far, I’m very encouraged by the reactions!