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| Sitting in the left seat, I guide my Lufthansa 747-400 into Kai Tak via the IGS rwy 13 approach. Notice the new gauge files on the 747-400 panel. This panel is going to include most of the functions and the annunciations of the real panel. |
itting in the
left seat of my Cathay Pacific 747-400 into Hong Kong, my first
officer advises the tower that we are over the Outer Marker." 'Cathay 245, cleared to land runway 13, touchdown winds 250 at 22.'
"My first officer reads back the clearance as I select the gear down.
We complete the landing checklist as the aircraft drops below the
1500 foot ceiling and we become visual for the approach. It quickly
becomes apparent that this is no normal approach. The runway is off
to our right, and there is a large checkerboard where the runway
SHOULD be.
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| A Boeing 777 approaches runway 31 over the bay. | A view of the Kai Tak terminal with low visibility. The boarding ramps are some of the best I've seen. |
"As we approach the middle marker, the first officer inhibits the glideslope and disengages both flight directors. From here on in, it's a truly hands-on approach. As we come directly over the middle marker, the airflow begins to detach itself from the wings. We are getting into that 12 knot wind, and the aircraft is entering the early stages of a stall. I add power, trying to keep the speed at the Vref of 148 knots. I begin to slowly turn to a heading of 135, following the curved approach lights to the runway. At the same time, my first officer calls 500 feet. As I roll the wings level, the digitized voice of the GPWS calls 200, and the VASI indicates a perfect approach. I fly over the displaced threshold, '30... 20... 10,' and come down to a perfect landing. Full reverse is selected, and I turn off at C-1, making the turn to B-1, and taxiing to bay 35. In the time period since touchdown, eleven other aircraft have just had the same experience."
I have never actually been to Hong Kong, although I have seen the area on two videos. One is "The Lufthansa Fleet" from Just Planes Videos, which includes the Hong Kong area from the cockpit and the HKG tower. The other, from Intelligent Television and Video, is a Cathay Pacific 747-400 flight from London Heathrow to Hong Kong, which includes the rwy 13 IGS from the cockpit.
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| On approach to runway 13, right after the turn. This view shows the great haze texturing in this scenery. | The night approach to runway 31, which shows the new VASI system. |
Once you have done this, go to the AIRPORTS menu, and you will see several runway selections. If you do not wish to start from one of these locations, there are several situations that will put you in various places in the Kowloon area.
With all of the detail in this scenery, frame rates are EXTREMELY pleasing. With full options, less scenery shadows, I attain 6 to 8 fps on my 486/66 with 8 mb of ram. On a Pentium 150, with 80mb of ram, frame rates with ALL options were 13-22!
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A TWA 747-100 waits for a gate to open up on the tarmac. |
Speedbird 1212, a 747-400, makes the turn on the rwy 13 IGS. This view is from the balcony of the Kai Tak Control tower. |
The highlight of this scenery is Kai Tak Airport, and the area surrounding it. This is the best representation of an airport I've seen in FS5! It is detailed down to the Holding Point Signs, and overhead lights which light up the tarmac and flightline. There is a docking system which is the best I've seen so far. As you taxi to the gate, the system advises the pilot to go left or right, along with stopping points for a 747 and 707/DC-9.
The most dramatic view of the Hong Kong area comes on the approach to runway 13 at Kai Tak. This approach, known as the Instrument Guidance System, or IGS approach, brings the aircraft down right over Kowloon. The terrain which surrounds Kai Tak prevents a straight in approach to rwy 13, so the aircraft flies a heading of 88 degrees, making a visual turn to 135 degrees at the Middle Marker.
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| A Northwest 747-400 prepares for touchdown on runway 13, as seen from the tower at Kai Tak. |
There are some interesting features included in this scenery. For example, new VASI devices are included. Also in the airport area, the runway and taxiway lighting systems change intensity and color depending on your position and heading to the runway. At 12:00 midnight, a brilliant animated fireworks display occurs over the bay.
While flying around Kowloon and the harbor, you will notice some hi-res texture mapping that easily rivals that of Mallard and BAO. There are some buildings that actually reflect the sky, and this looks so realistic that I actually had to slew in front of them to see if I would see MY reflection.
This version also comes with some extra goodies. Included is the shareware version of "Final Approach," along with all the approach plates for the Hong Kong area. A preview version of Pilot's Madrid is included, along with .wav files of actual Hong Kong ATC, for use with Flight Shop adventures.
In conclusion, this scenery is the best commercial or shareware scenery package I've seen for Flight Simulator. As of this time, it is compatible with both FS5.1 and FSFW95.
As of this review, this scenery was selling for $34.90, but is worth every penny.
Pilot's Flight Simulation Publishing
Wipplingerstr. 24-26
A-1010 Wien
Austria
Phone: (+43 1) 535 90 10
FAX: (+43 1) 535 40 10
Email: 100327.51@compuserve.com