Disclaimer: I paid for this piece of software like many of you will, what follows is my opinion. If ever I am given a review copy of something, I’ll notify you in a similar way.
I don’t know how often I’ll be reviewing things, but I thought that I would give it a shot. I probably won’t ever do video reviews, although I do plan on doing videos that tie in with a review that has been published. In this case a video of me flying from Ibiza to London will release at the same time as this article, although at the time of filming I wasn’t really planning on writing a review.
I really love it when new airport scenery comes out and I am not disappointed by it. I, like many of you, have some very specific preferences when it comes to sceneries and there is a very good chance that we won’t agree on everything. One of the things that I like to see is a complete lack of static aircraft, or at the very least more empty and available ramp starts than statics. I know that there are two main schools of thought on statics. One group prefers to have statics to help make the airport feel less empty, and the other, myself included, prefer to have loads of empty stands so that flying online is never an issue. I want to have room for my plane to park at the terminal, as well as any other online traffic, and I really would rather not see them overlaying statics. In this scenery, one of my absolute favorite features are the statics. The first thing Pilot Plus did that I like is include a folder that removes statics (this is explained in the manual that comes with the product). The second thing is that while the statics have very low polygon counts and therefore are low resolution models, the livery graphics that they are textured with do not compromise the logos. If I am going to have statics, I’d rather they look decent from a distance and have good liveries than look like normal planes up close with liveries from Minecraft pixel art. I tend to operate without statics when given the choice, but clearly the best option is to have the choice.
It is worth noting that in the stock scenery there are a few more static aircraft. When I took these screenshots I had used overlay editor to remove some. At that point I had not read the manual where it explained how to remove statics, and I wasn’t planning for a review. Read your manuals people, it’s something that I almost never do.
The scenery looks just as I expect it should at night. X-Plane 10 night lighting stands well on its own, so I don’t have much to say here.
I definitely do not like it when jetways do not move, like in many sceneries. If you are going to develop a free or commercial scenery for X-Plane, please for the love of God use Autogate by Marginal. Thanks for using Autogate Pilot Plus!
Pilot Plus did a fantastic job here I think. I certainly do not regret spending my money on it. The jetways work, all the ramp starts are there. I haven’t been there so I have no idea if the terminal looks right, but I assume it does. I also like the implementation of photoreal textures here. I works really nicely with the surrounding area without looking out-of-place. The airport looks fantastic at night and being able to remove or add statics quickly is always a plus. All that to say, fantastic job Pilot Plus. I look forward to more of your creations.
This scenery can be purchased on x-plane.org, or directly from Pilot Plus here. There may be other stores where this scenery is available, I have not checked.