 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Screen shots by Eiresim |
||
Shannon Airport is Ireland's fourth largest airport. Located in the town of Shannon, it serves western and central Ireland. From 1945 to 1971, it was the only airport that handled commercial air transport between Ireland and the United States. At 3,199 meters (10,489 feet) long and 45 meters (148 feet) wide, Runway 13/31 can handle the world's largest aircraft such as the Antonov 225 and the Airbus A380. It is also an official emergency landing site for the U.S. Space Shuttle. More than 3 million passengers, 50,000 tonnes of cargo, and 45,000 aircraft flow through the airport annually.
Eiresim is an Ireland-based designer of add-on sceneries for Microsoft Flight Simulator®, such as Dublin, Cork, and now Shannon. This scenery was co-developed with Irish Flight Sim Design.
Eiresim touts these among many features of its Shannon Ultimate:
"This scenery captures the airport in all its glory," Eiresim says. "Includes plenty of animation and effects, all the buildings, extremely detailed ground markings, interactive air bridges and stunning night effects."
I reviewed the FSX version. I have no reason to doubt that the FS2004 version is anything less.
|
PURCHASE FEATURES |
||
|
Instant download from the Pilot Shop |
YES | |
|
Installation program |
YES | |
|
License key required |
YES | |
|
Copyright acknowledgment required |
YES | |
|
Manual included |
YES | |
|
Uninstall program included |
YES | |
| AIRPORT LOCATION | ||
|
|
|
| Screen shots by Bill Stack | ||
A few quick glances at my comparative screen shots between Eiresim's and FSX's Shannon Airport show there's much more to this airport than FSX represents.
Eiresim's Shannon Airport accurately reflects all major airport buildings compared with real-world photos I found on the Internet and an airport diagram Eiresim provided for me.
It also includes numerous buildings outside the airport grounds, such as the Shannon Airport industrial estate and the sewerage works.
Airport markings are much more realistic in Eiresim's airport than in default FSX.
Pavement colors are difficult to judge. Asphalt is darker when it's newer and grayer as it ages. So FSX's pavement colors might not be wrong. But the runways covered with tire skid marks are more realistic than FSX.
Various airport vehicles move about the airport movement areas, especially along the marked "roads" in the ramp areas, where aircraft would have to avoid them as they taxi to and from gates. These include baggage wagons, catering vans, and fuel trucks. Normally, airport ground vehicles avoid aircraft, not the other way around as is the case in a home flight simulator).
Automobiles parked in the parking lots outside the airport movement areas add a realistic view from inside the airport and from aloft without substantially diminishing frame rates.
|
COMPARATIVE OVERVIEWS OF THE AIRPORT |
|
Eiresim |
FSX |
Eiresim |
FSX |
Eiresim |
FSX |
Eiresim |
FSX |
| Screen shots by Bill Stack | |
The entire look of this airport from the complete buildings, the lights, and the moving airport ground vehicles gives us a close feel that we're actually at this airport.
Versions for FSX and FS2004 are contained in the same package.
Users can decide whether to install ground vehicles or omit them from the installation. They can uninstall them if desired by following instructions in the manual.
Landclass files enhance areas surrounding the airport for a better overall look.
Eiresim responded quickly to all my inquiries, which bodes well for users who might need technical support.
|
VIEWS AROUND THE AIRPORT |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Screen shots by Bill Stack | ||
The package is available for instant downloading from the Pilot Shop. Downloading required several minutes because of the size of the archive file.
The installation program places all files in the correct folders. Users must activate the scenery through the Scenery Library. It takes just a few minutes.
Users must install two sets of files: The basic airport and the landclass files for areas surrounding the airport.
Frame rates ranged from the mid teens to the mid 20s at most areas. They were naturally lower near intense imaging such as near terminal gates.
If the 3-D automobiles diminish frame rates, they can be deleted as instructed in the operating manual.
Eiresim's placement of this airport is noticeably to the east of the FSX placement. When I switched from FSX default scenery to Eiresim's scenery, my aircraft was in the grass to the left of the runway. Comparative screen shots taken from exactly the same viewpoint show the differences also. Eiresim says "Shannon was placed at its real world location according to IAA charts and as a result is approximatly 40 feet off the deafault Microsoft Shannon."
My installation program has a glitch that installed the folders in the wrong place. "I have just ran the fspilotshop installer and it installs to the correct location," Eiresim said in response to my question. "I have verified this with another customer and this is the first instance where this issue has been raised." I don't know why my installation program would have done this. Any users who experience the same should contact Eiresim immediately.
| AIRPORT DETAILS | ||
Ramp Markings |
Radar |
Skid Marks |
Runway 24 |
Rwy 24 Approach |
Taxiway Lights |
| Screen shots by Bill Stack | ||
A 12-page manual explains system requirements, installation method, interesting features, among other topics. It includes screen shots to help explain the airport and installation.
| MANUAL PAGES | ||
Cover |
Page 3 |
Page 7 |
|
Screen shots by Bill Stack |
||
| NIGHT EFFECTS | ||
Airport Overview |
Main Terminal |
Gates |
Gates |
Approach Lights |
Taxiway Lights |
|
Screen shots by Bill Stack |
||
To make my comparative screen shots, I snapped a shot in Eiresim's scenery, then I switched to FSX default scenery and snapped another shot. Thus, all the comparative shots were made from the same position. The difference between Eiresim's airport and default FSX made viewpoints of my comparative screen shots appear slightly different, even though they were taken from the same position.
Learn more about Shannon Airport at these websites:
Charts for this airport, including a detailed diagram that will let you know where you are on this airport, are available free of charge from the
Irish Aviation Authority.
Eiresim's Shannon Ultimate is a remarkably good representation without harmfully diminishing frame rates. All facilities on the airport are realistic according to the official airport diagram. The surface markings are more realistic than the default MSFS. Animated airport vehicles following the official "roads" in the airport movement areas add a real-time realism that's missing at default MSFS airports. There's no reason to doubt the realism of facilities included in Eiresim's scenery but outside the airport and not shown on the official diagram. All said, this scenery will provide users a very realistic experience at this important and historic international airport.
Bill Stack
Learn More About Eiresim's Shannon Airport
Bill Stack is author of several books about flight simulation, a regular author in flight-sim magazines, and a contributor to Flight Sim Com. His website is www.topskills.com
[ Back
| Home
| Main Menu
| Logout
]
Copyright © 1996 - 2012 by FlightSim.Com, Inc. All Rights Reserved.