Orbx has been known for making great scenery packages, especially those of Australia and North America; and recently introduced their newest line of North American airports. Created to nearly exact detail, they utilize hundreds of pictures of customers from that certain airport and are able to create the best small airports in flight simulator. This rendition of Orcas Island covers several parts of the island: a large section where KORS airport is situated, airport W49 Rosario, WA43 Clam Harbor/White Beach Bay, the ferry dock area, deer harbor and a quarry.
The name "Orcas" is a shortened form of Horcasitas, or Juan Vicente de Guemes Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo, 2nd Count of Revillagigedo, the Viceroy of Mexico who sent an exploration expedition under Francisco de Eliza to the Pacific Northwest in 1791. During the voyage, Eliza explored part of the San Juan Islands. He did not apply the name Orcas specifically to Orcas Island, but rather to part of the archipelago. In 1847 Henry Kellett assigned the name Orcas to Orcas Island during his reorganization of the British Admiralty charts. It was this work of Kellett's that eliminated the patriotically American names that Charles Wilkes had given to many features of the San Juans during the Wilkes Expedition of 1838-1842. Wilkes had named Orcas Island "Hull Island", after Commodore Isaac Hull. Other features of Orcas Island named by Wilkes include "Ironsides Inlet" for East Sound, and "Guerrier Bay" for West Sound. One of the names Wilkes gave remains, that of Mount Constitution. Wilkes' names follow a pattern: Isaac Hull was the commander of "Old Ironsides" (the USS Constitution) and won fame after capturing the British warship Guerriere in the War of 1812.
With a land area of 57.3 square miles (148.4 km2) and a population of 4,453 (2000 census), Orcas Island is slightly larger, but less populous, than neighboring San Juan Island. Orcas is shaped like a pair of saddlebags, separated by fjord-like East Sound, with Massacre Bay on the south side, and tiny Skull Island just off the coast. At the northern end of the island is the village of Eastsound, the largest town on Orcas and the second largest in San Juan County. In 1989 the Lummi Nation regained a village and burial site on Orcas Island's Madrona Point near Eastsound, and now operates it as Madrona Point Park, a private preserve characterized by hundreds of twisting madrona trees sprouting from the rocky shoreline. Other, smaller towns - or hamlets - on the island include Orcas (where the inter-island/mainland ferry lands), West Sound (technically part of Eastsound), Deer Harbor, Rosario (technically part of Eastsound), Olga and Doe Bay. Orcas Island is accessible by air via Eastsound Airport (KORS) or water landings by seaplane as well as by water via the Washington State Ferry system or private watercraft. During the summer season, there is an island shuttle that runs from the ferry landing to Eastsound and other points.
The piece-de-resistance is indeed KORS, a great airport, with a good-sized runway, fit for a Citation Mustang, hangars around, a fuel island; with an airport fully utilized by Orbx's signature PeopleFlow. It's extremely well detailed as modeling goes, looking in every detail like Orcas Island, from its taxiways, runways hangars; it is the essence of photo-real in the flight simulation scenery realm, a very nice place to be flying out of. The runway is a good length; I was easily able to depart in my Wings of Power II: B-17 Flying Fortress with ease, and runway to spare, at full MTOW. It has easily navigable taxiways, and is picture realistic, and all parking spaces are in their appropriate places, as seen from Google Earth. All hangars are modeled too, with a couple actually open for parking your plane in, and I was able to fit my Flight1 Citation Mustang in at least one of the open hangars, so most GA planes will fit, if you want that extra bit of realism.
WA35 'Clam Harbor and WA49 'Rosario' are also modeled, with realism but not in the full indepth-ness of the mainstay, KORS.
Also modeled is the ferry landing (which I have been to), Deer Harbor, Mount Constitution tower and antenna station, and a quarry on the island. All have 30 cm detail, whereas the area around KORS has 15 cm. Cool animations: Another really great thing about this is that both seabirds are visible flying around, and Orcas (actual killer whales) will surface in the harbor and in the ocean, and spray water from their spouts! Another great feature.
I am impressed with this product and it equaled my expectations that I received from the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Fjords, and Northern Rocky Mountains scenery packages, of all three I own. They are highly detailed, fully modeled and make the flying experience that much greater, and truly makes this one of the go-to airports in North America for GA, in the simulator. I highly recommend you purchase this outstanding product, and you will enjoy it as much as I did.
High quality land textures, great land details, awesome sound touches, cool orcas swimming around, extra bush strips, PeopleFlow and so much more.
Covers only select parts of this island.
I'd like to take this time to tell you all about the aircraft you've seen in this review. Featured is REX 2.0, Wings of Silver Piper Cub with Accusim, Wings of Power III: Spitfire with Accusim, and the Carenado Cessna 185 Bush.
Peter Carlson
petersnoopy@sbcglobal.net
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Reviews Of Orbx Products:
Orbx NA Blue Pacific Northwest
Orbx FTX Scenery of Australia