For FS2000 and FS98 with the possibility of CFS
Scenery by Oscar Everett
Reviewed by Maikha Ly
Tinian and Saipan are two military airports (Japanese Air Offensive) in the Pacific Ocean which has been reproduced with great detail and also matching the scenes from 1945. It was built in tribute of Nathan Hicks (Radar/Navigator of a B-29 Genie) and all the men in Taipan and Saipan. Most textures on this scenery come from pictures and maps of the real Tinian and Saipan which does not use repetitive tiling (reproducing textures). It also comes with dynamic scenery but this review is based on the scenery itself. In the ‘read me’ there are a few websites given in which are related to many things such as Nathan Hicks and the B-29 Genie.
This tour starts on one of the ‘plain’ runways, facing North on the runway that’s furthest to the east. To the right of the runway seemed fairly interesting, a line up of B-29’s with hangars and green tent-shape figures behind them. I decided to fly to nearby Saipan as to check out that area before flying back to Tinian to begin the tour.
I applied power and off and away I was. I retracted flap when to the left hand side was the runway of Saipan already in sight. How fast was that? I turned left a bit then positioned myself for the runway as I was going to land on this runway. This runway seemed fairly short, but I still went for it. I was gliding gradually towards the runway, over the threshold then a ‘bump’. I was on the runway. It seemed fairly short because as I slowed down on the procedure I was very close to the end of the runway! I taxied the aircraft off the runway and taxied out to the apron facing parallel to the runway.
On this apron there were a small line-up of B-29’s with Hangars beside them in even distances. Seemed fairly like the ones in Tinian, I turned the aircraft left to go onto another apron also parallel to this one. The scene was fairly similar, line up of B-29’s with evenly spaced hangars. I went onto the 3rd apron. This time it was different. There were no hangars here but instead green tent-shape figures very close to each other, these were spaced very close to each other and extended a very long line of them.
Well this was mostly Saipan, with the aircraft, hangars and tents. It was now the flight around the island Saipan is located on, I took off from the runway and turned left for one of my next island flights. This Island seemed fairly detailed. It had medium height terrain from the middle extending out to the edges of the island. It was a fairly nice site to fly past as I was looking out the front-left window and turning the aircraft left again to follow the heading of the island edge. This view of the island seemed different from another perspective. It seemed a little short, probably the climb in altitude I gained when turning. Just as I flew parallel from my previous heading I noticed a small ‘bite’ in the island which looked liked the harbour of Saipan, oh well. It was now back to Tinian for the tour.
Tinian was that very short flight from runway to runway. I flew over Saipan military for one final time then I turned right flying back towards Tinian. Tinian was coming right at me very fast, it was a short journey but enjoyable. I flew towards the runway I started at, noticing that there were four other ‘plain’ runways (Including the one I started at) with he same features such as Static B-29’s and hangars. I flew over the runway, not landing, then turned around and flew past a different runway in the opposite direction. It looked fairly the same, as I passed the threshold I turned right. Now I was flying the heading that the military base was positioned at. I looked out my right window and I was admiring the photo realistic textures used. There was a very long two lane road on the airbase. On the sides of the long road there would be a flat clear area or an area with tent-shape figures. Further west up the field I had spotted another runway. A plain colour grass runway (as were the others) with hangars beside the apron. I’m not sure if there were aircraft or tents because of my altitude and distance form those objects. Along the road lying right next to it was a medium sized building with a helipad on top. this I believed was the hospital because of the red cross on top.
I flew further up the perimeter of the airbase until I got to one of the corners. I turned right into a 90degree heading and flew up the perimeter of the airbase. This side was interesting, as the others, with a small height hill and a few military ships in the harbour. I flew along this side when I was passing another corner and now I was flying west (down the perimeter of the airbase towards the location where I started. I was flying a bit as I was looking through the right hand window looking at the road I was flying past the runway I had spotted earlier. Yep this runway had detail including aircraft and hangars. It is interesting though, flying east along the road the northern side has flat clear areas while the southern side had detail including roads, buildings and the runway.
I was closely approaching the four runways I had started from. I decided to fly the final leg of my tour in a vertical direction from the runways. I descended to around 500ft, slowed down and let the scenery pass under me. The B-29’s, hangars and tents went under me in a matter of seconds and so I passed the western perimeter of the airbase which I was now to fly a circuit to land on one of the runways.
The pattern, flying at 180 degrees for a minute, then left again at 90degrees then finally a final turn towards the western most runway. I glided as the aircraft slowed, over the threshold and finally a ‘bump’. I slowed the aircraft down then I turned and taxied out to the apron in which was my final stop for a day.
Conclusion: This scenery has to be the BEST!!! one that I have ever flown where the category is military! I have never ever seen this sort of scenery or anything close to it! Many factors include the effort into the restyle of 1945, the research in the past military and also the dedication this is for!.
MORE THAN HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!!!
