For FS2000 and FS98
Scenery by Gary Summons
Reviewed by Maikha Ly
(Shareware)
Gary Summons is the previous author who had created the shareware scenery ‘London Gatwick Scenery’ in which was reviewed at FSPlanet.com more than a month ago. Coincidently this scenery is also the great work of Gary Summons which is part of his announced scenery package UK2000.
This scenery is based on the Channel Islands, located in the English Channel west of the Brest region in north France but is it part of the UK. They consist in mesh terrain islands and is edged off by surrounding cliff faces and also beaches. The biggest island out of all of them would be Jersey, followed by Guernsey, Alderney and then the smaller ones such as Herm and Sark. The three large islands are the only ones out of the channel islands in which has airports. Jersey Airport serves outer destinations such as UK cities, France and other European destinations. Alderney airport would be the smallest airport mainly consisting of grass.
Plenty of detail has been put into this scenery. All the airports have detail including static aircraft, vehicles, realistic terminal buildings, hangars with automatic doors, ‘Mike’ The marshaller!, and many other small things which make up this scenery with detail! The textures look realistic and to top all of this off, all the airports and the islands are on the TOP OF THE HILLS!!! giving an airport elevated on a higher altitude from sea level.
I started out in Guernsey airport. Taxing off the runway, passing the terminal buildings then docked at a gate. I was greeted by ‘Mike’ the Marshaller when I docked, funny looking person in a blue uniform and a bright orange vest, someone you don’t often see in FS! The jet came to a half, I put the parking brake on then transferred to my single engine Tango II. Just before I would leave I had taken a stroll around the airport.
The first thing I noticed even before I got to the gate was that the airport had a fencing parameter around the airport. I have never seen an entire airport fencing parameter before in all these times of flight simulation. I knew this scenery had more surprises to come. The terminal buildings looked detailed, especially the people in terminal.
I went across the gate to the other side where there were parked static aircraft in which one of then was a turbo-prop aircraft in front of a hangar. The static turbo-prop and the hangar caught my eye for a second so I taxied towards them. Now I was in front of the aircraft and hangar. The hangar looked very realistic in the use of textures.
I got closer to the front of the hangar and the doors just opened automatically! How wonderful, taxi up to hangar and have the doors just open in front of you! I stepped into the massive hangar then stepped out and then taxied back out onto the apron of this airport. My tour of Guernsey airport finishes here but I would be ready to begin my adventure around the channel islands visiting Alderney and Jersey.
As I taxied out to the runway I passed a pair of ‘Wig Wags’. These are flashing lights the have at holding points at some airports. I was on the runway, set the flap, applied power and I was off. As I approached the speed I pulled the control slightly back and I was up, up and away. As I pulled away from the runway heading I had turned to fly around the islands, there were cliff face boarders I was waiting to see.
The entire island was in mesh terrain which impressed me a lot. I had reduced altitude to be flying only 100ft above the ground and a safe distance to be close to the cliff face. It was a breath-taking site! flying close to a cliff surface which spans the island. It was about a minute since I was flying along the cliff surfaces, looking through the front-left window as it gradually forms patterns then finally there was a break in the continuous cliff surface was there was a small bay, I ended this scenario here and headed for Alderney Island.
It was quite sometime before I got to Alderney. I had flown most of it above water on autopilot and just sitting back, watching the English channel go by, in the distance, a small island suddenly appeared. It was Alderney, I was getting anxious by then since after all this time in the air I was getting to where I was wanting to go.
It seemed liked a small island and it was! It gets closer and closer until it’s only a few miles from you and it had seemed to go on a small scale. I decided to land at the airport. On the approach I noticed this island was also elevated on mesh terrain. Another spectacular site to see on your visits to the islands. I was lined up with the runway now, gradually descending towards the runway. The flight path was right over a slight cliff face.
Then as I flew over that the fencing parameter of the airport appeared just as the other airports had. (Screenshot provided) It was just like the normal landings I practise in Meighs all the time but this time the runway was elevated, giving me a small situation to handle. The airport fence passed under me, then I was over the threshold. Waiting for the time I cut the power to the aircraft then with all landings, a ‘bump’, you’re on the runway! I passed two grass runways then taxied out to the terminal.
I was greeted by another ‘Mike’, the Marshaller in other words, guiding me to dock to the gate on the apron. Here I took a short break after the long flight. It was then to note that my next and final leg, Alderney to Jersey, was going to be twice as long as the previous flight.
I fully re-fuelled the aircraft and then started up the engine. I taxied out to the runway (08R) and took off as usual. For my usual routine of the adventure around the islands I flew along the edges of the islands.
This island was smaller than Guernsey. Instead of cliff surfaces there was steep hill-sides surrounding the island. These hill sides also had small sand patches just meeting the water. Circling the surrounding of the island was much quicker then I thought.
I had finished at the point where I took off from Runway 08. I started the journey to Jersey, a long trip above the water. It seemed liked forever until you would get to Jersey. I only hope I don’t get an engine failure up at 3000ft in-the-middle-of-nowhere!
It was quite sometime now, Jersey island was now slightly visible from the aircraft. There was still the distance to get to Jersey. This island had seemed big, its suppose to, Jersey is the biggest island out of the Channel islands. As the island was getting closer and closer, I was descending a few hundred feet to get me to 500ft. The first thing I would do when I get to Jersey is to land at the airport.
It had been a long flight hopping from three islands. It was around five minutes now. The island was fully visible, I could eventually see the airport and also the runway. I descended to 500ft which was fairly low, the steep hill surrounding the island past under me and then it was time I started the approach. The runway was to my right, about 90 degrees from my heading.
This was going to be very difficult, the landing I was going to perform was similar to Kai Tak (Hong Kong) but the aircraft was much slower and the altitude was much lower. Gently I turned right towards the runway, I was about a degree off but managed to gain the flight path and I was now on final for Runway 27 Jersey. The parameter passed under me, then over the threshold and now the power was cut and the aircraft was flaring, then on all landings, bump!, I was on the runway. I slowed the aircraft down then taxied out onto a taxiway to my left. At the end of the taxiway I came to an intersection, you had to turn left to get to the terminals, just again I came to a stop at another taxiway holding point.
There were two directions, left or right, they both would end up at the terminals so I decided to turn right. As I taxied to a gate I noticed the style and detail the terminal buildings had, especially the structure shape of the main terminal. I also noticed that the gates facing the terminal had Aircraft Guidance boards which of course guide the aircraft to the correct course on the gate! just to my right on Gate 18 the Marshaller ‘Mike’ was waiting for me there. I had taxied into that gate and parked there just a few feet from nearly running him into the propeller! (Sorry Mike!) I switched off the engine and took a fairly long break after a very long flight!!
My break was over, I jumped back into my aircraft and started up the engine. Single engine aircraft like this couldn’t reverse backwards so I had to turn right as slowly and sharply so I don’t knock Mike over by the wing. I was out of the gate and onto the taxiway. I passed the terminal buildings and the gates and turned around them to the other side in which I didn’t get to see last time. The gates were to my right. They also had Guidance boards. Just passing the boarding gates I was passing a fire truck which was next to a hangar. Just on the other side of the hangar was a static BA jet (I don’t know what type it is). My tour of Jersey airport ended here. I taxied out to runway 27. Just at the holding point on the taxiway there were another pair of ‘Wig Wags’, flashing guard lights at a holding point. I passed that and taxied out to the runway and took off.
This flight was to fly around the surrounding of the island Jersey. The island was second largest out of the other islands. This meant that the flight would be a little longer. After the flight I would land back at Jersey airport in which the review will end.
I was up and away. As the airport parameter passed underneath, you were flying right over a beach and out of the island, I immediately turned left and started a low-flight around the island. The surrounding of the island was similar to Alderney, steep hill sides surrounding the island, but meeting the water were sand dunes or beaches.
A small hillside passed me then I was heading for a large area of sand (or a beach). The area of the beach was a few square miles!! It was two or three times bigger than Alderney or Guernsey Airport! Most of the South-Eastern side of Jersey Island was sand dunes or beaches.
I was just passing the Southern point of Jersey. Now the sand surrounding of the Island turns into the mesh terrain surrounding. (This should be interesting). This was more than interesting, it was very spectacular.
The hill sides facing the water were sort of high and flying next to them while watching the pattern change in landform. Something we all should experience especially in the real world!! As I gradually got to the Western end of Jersey the hill sides had came to a stop and now the boarder of the Western side of Jersey was a long strip of sand! This strip of sand wasn’t fairly straight like the others, it curved a few times. It was to surprise that near the end of the sand strip to my left was Jersey Airport! The tour of this island had finished much faster than I had expected. I immediately turned left towards the runway.
I slowed down and applied flap for this ‘sudden’ landing. I was too high and when I came to a ‘bump’ on the runway I had little space to stop so I did a go-around. This go-around would get me on RWY 27. I was about 2NM from the runway, I turned around and this time I landed perfectly with the ‘bump’!
This is where it all ends.
Conclusion: There had been many things I wanted to mention in this review. This scenery just got to be the best out of all the island scenery I’ve flown (No offence to the previous ones).
The amount of detail and effort put into the creation of this scenery. E.G. Honestly people, who’s been to an airport without a fencing parameter? A marshaller? Realistic terminal buildings? Mesh Terrain scenery??? Practically all of us!!! This scenery changes all that! It’s worth every cent !!! This scenery represents time and effort from the author to create this scenery as well other ones as well. Please support the author!
NOTE: This scenery was reviewed on ‘Very Dense’ for Scenery Complexity. This must be selected to view the detail of the scenery.
Shareware: You may use this scenery for 30days without registering, after this period you need to register or delete the scenery.
It will cost $17 or £10 to register your copy and by doing so you will receive a patch file to remove the ‘Shareware’ brick wall at the airports and will be entitled to any updates for this scenery that are made in the future. You can register online by SECURE a credit card service arranged by the ‘Soft Shop’ at this URL http://www.soft-shop.com/cgi-bin/order.html?gsummons