SimFlyers Philadelphia

By Brien J. Miller (5 June 2001)

My favorite 757-200 parked at Gate E1. Note the docking guide just ahead of the aircraft's nose and the highly realistic pavement surface and markings. The jetways are exquisitely done and are set to heights common for standard domestic class aircraft.

As both a former pilot and current National Airspace System engineer, I am intimately familiar with "Philly", as its commonly known. Having flown left seat into PHL on 757s and worked on both surface movement systems and TRACON - ENROUTE systems involving PHL airspace (ZNY and ZDC), I eagerly anticipated 'taxiing' around the scenery, all the while dreading the "I know too much to be happy with this..." syndrome.

I acquired my KPHL as a download from the SimFlyers site. The download, via a 56k modem, was large, but not excessive. I run FS2000 on a HP Intel ///, 950 MHz Pavilion with 128 mb of RAM and a 17" monitor, a system sufficient to run most simulation applications. For the most part, FS2000 runs well, with only the occasional dive into the low frame rate region. KPHL is shareware, and I readily paid my $15 (approximately) right up front. I received the key within 24 hours. The program installed cleanly and without problem, although notes on the web site do offer an alternative install feature should you encounter difficulties. During the five hours

In the Navy we use to die to pull off a nose line-up. Here are four different USAirways aircraft lined up, three docked at jetways and one taxiing into the inner ramp. The Walt Whitman bridge is in the background.

of flying, driving, and slewing around the airport, I never felt that the simulation slowed down to an unacceptable rate. There were, however, a few occasions in which the frame rate dropped significantly but only for a few brief moments. Slower machines may experience some degradation in performance with this or any other extreme detail scenery, but my configuration adequately supported it throughout my use.

Static Scenery

Beyond the terminal, accessible through 'slew' mode, is the 'gap' where light rail lines connect to SEPTA, Philadelphia's commuter rail system, as well as the inner roadway serving the terminal's arriving and departing passengers. Also represented is the HILTON airport hotel, as well as the large parking garages opposite each of the primary piers on the groundside. All in all, the terminal environ is an outstanding virtual model of the real thing and kept me exploring in amazement for quite some time.

Utility vehicles including a covered stairway are visible in this shot looking southwest. The docking guide for gate A7 is visible in the lower left corner. The easterly flow of traffic is evident in this picture.

West of the terminal proper are the other facilities serving the air cargo carriers. These and other air service facilities are well represented, although with less of the super detail that marks the main facility. The west cargo area is accurately portrayed physically but the buildings appear more generic in their texture than the terminal. The east ramp, once the principle holdout of the general and corporate aviation services, is devoid of the remaining buildings. Most of this area was knocked down and paved over to make way for the new commuter runway 8-26 (which was too bad as it was a great spot to 'plane watch' from!).

The south side of the airport is taken up by the massive UPS facility that serves as one of their major East Coast hubs and jump off point for UPS transoceanic flights. Here, UPS bases 747's and 767's, along with a host of 757 aircraft but I have not yet seen any UPS aircraft in the scenery mix yet. This ramp and the associated buildings are accurate and well marked. The massive billboard-style UPS logo dominates the front of the building and, like the real thing, can be seen at a distance. East of UPS is the fire/CFR stations and behind them, the PHL Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). It is here that the only noticeable 'missing' feature of the airport can (or in this case, cannot) be found. At the base of the tower is the Philadelphia TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control facility) but in the scenery, this structure is missing. So much for pushing tin here.

While taxiing around the airport, one can make out both city and tree lines that are not part of the original FS2000 scenery set. These ground view elements are "flat images," the flatness of which is readily apparent from the air on either long or short final. From the ground the image is highly realistic and satisfying (although I'm sure the trees behind the tower are not that tall!) but from the air, they look quiet 'artificial' and in fact are somewhat annoying. While I am not sure exactly what the program's code allows, it may be possible to use a "height switch" such that when an aircraft is very near the ground, these scene elements are turned on while when airborne, they are off and not visible.

KPHL includes some of the most extensive cargo ramp scenery I have yet encountered and it provides a realistic feel to the field. The "flat" city scape is visible in the background. From the ground it looks great but from altitude, even this low height, it looks out of place.

Lastly, and I admit this is a minor lament; there is the matter of bridges. One of the overriding images that strikes anyone sitting in the front seat of any aircraft on runways 27R or 27L is the illusion of the sixth longest cantilever bridge in the world, the Commodore Barry Bridge, that crosses the Delaware river at Chester PA to NJ, looming up like the proverbial '50 foot' obstacle at the end of a short runway at a small airport. More readily apparent than the other bridge that dominates the approach to 27L, the Walt Whitman suspension bridge, the Commodore Barry looms up from the horizon as if it where just a mile or so away (despite the fact that its nearly ten miles distant). FS2000 deemed that this masterpiece of cantilever design and engineering not be included while all the other major Delaware River crossings are present (including the twin suspension bridge, the Delaware Memorial, that lies further south of the Commodore Barry). It would be a wonderful addition to this scenery if this very visible landmark could, in some way, be added.

Airside Passenger And Ground Systems

The ramp environs are highly detailed, with numerous cargo containers and trucks. Both standard delivery and intermodal vehicle types are visible in the cargo areas, while plenty of fuel, service, and delivery trucks and general ramp mules populate the passenger terminal areas. In fact, in terms of standalone ground vehicles and containers, SimFlyers' KPHL exceeds all the other scenery that I have used. One certainly does not feel "alone" at this airport!

The author's 757-200 on final to runway 27R. This is the 'normal operations' landing runway at PHL. Note the black squares beneath the frangible ALS and the "flat" city and tree 'scapes just above and to the right of the aircraft, minor problems that detract from an otherwise outstanding scenery set.

Lighting and signage is extensive throughout the entirety of the airport. Runway and taxiway signs are complete and correct. Taxi guidance lights along critical ground routes and in between the piers are both realistic and extensive. Overall, the signage, taxiway, and ramp lighting is highly accurate but I did note two areas in need of possible rework. There is a propensity for certain segments of these taxi route lights to 'disappear' when coming right on top of them. The most notable occurs when taxiing eastbound just south of pier A. Another oddity also exists with the blue taxiway edge lights--these lights appear lit around the clock. While it appears that perhaps the intent was to have small blue objects represent daylight taxiway fixtures (which are visible during the day) the result makes it appear as if the lights are lit continuously, which they are not. This, however, is minor as is the disappearing segment of taxiway guide lights. Annoying, but minor.

The approach lighting systems are faithful to a "T", however large black squares show up at the bases of the frangible light arrays. It is unclear whether this is intended or an anomaly but it's only visible for a short period when on final approach...a point in time when I'm not usually looking at the ground below the lights! Runway lighting and markings appear no different than they do in the regular FS2000 program, a feature I personally like. I dislike the blurry look of some "photoreal" terrains that have been applied to some airport's runways in other scenery add-ons (are the runway numbers really that blurry or is my medical no longer good?!). In this sense, PHL meets or exceeds the other scenery I have used. One of the most attractive things about the KPHL scenery is that fact that the new commuter runway, 8-26 is present in its phase I development (no taxiway running all the way to the approach end of 26) and is properly lit. An earlier release of this scenery apparently did not light 8-26, but that has been corrected in the release I downloaded.

Dynamic Scenery

PHL's Crash Fire & Rescue station and the FAA Air Traffic Control Tower. The absence of the TRACON facility at the base of the tower is the only notable building missing.

Accordingly SimFlyers has taken care to represent a fairly high density of ground and air traffic in and around the airport. The mix of traffic appears accurate with USAirways dominating the movements on the ground. The other airlines are represented apportioned to the level of their activities with aircraft from Delta, and Northwest more obvious than others. British Air and Lufthansa are accounted for with 747s parked at their respective gates. USAirways, in an operating agreement with the airport and the FAA, controls all the ramp movements between piers A and D, thus the occurrence of a high density of USAirways traffic in this area is also accurate.

Unhappily, despite the great effort SimFlyers put into representing ground movement in their dynamic scenery, the effort put into the air operations, take offs and landings, appears to have missed a critical key. Philadelphia, with its two primary runways, is principally an 'east-to-west' flow airport. Approximately 80% of all operations at Philadelphia involve westerly landings and take offs. Only on clear, calm, early mornings or when nor'easter storm conditions prevail is there a regular flow of easterly traffic. Normal traffic operations at Philadelphia involve landing arriving aircraft on runway 27R while departures are made from 27L.

In SimFlyers' KPHL, the traffic pattern is east and east only. Arrivals land on 9R and departures are off of 9L. While this is in fact one of the two principle easterly configurations for this airport, it is not a realistic regular pattern for this airport to portray in a standardized scenery set. Unhappily, in SimFlyers' PHL, those of us who fly real world weather or simply default it to standard Philadelphia weather pattern end up flying into departing traffic on 27R. This, especially given my real world flying, is and will always be, a touch unnerving. So great kudos for getting a realistic level of operations into the scenery--just let's set it to standard westerly flow please!

This shot shows one of the dynamic scenery's Delta MD80 series taking off from runway 9L. The blue lights of the taxiway lighting show up quite obviously in this picture. These lights should be off during the day.

Last Thoughts