Introduction

Aerosoft have been covering Barcelonaas an add-on for over a decade now. They have produced the airport fora variety of platforms including FS2004, FSX and P3D. Their FSX versionMega Airport Barcelona Evolutionwas one of my favorite airports to fly in and out of.

Aerosoft have since upgraded their Evolution package to takeadvantage of the new features found in P3D V4 so as to bring a moreenhanced experience. Aerosoft claim that Mega Airport BarcelonaProfessional now offers P3D V4 users Dynamic Lighting, which willchange depending on weather and what time of day it is. Using SDKtechnology, they have been able to use new materials to optimiseperformance as well as improve runway 3D lighting and more. Of course,the product also comes with the usual array of features already foundin the previous versions, such as: high-resolution buildings andtextures of the airport and surrounding area, intensely modelledairport buildings (includes the interior of the new Terminal 1building), plus detailed ground markings, animated vehicle traffic,etc.

History

The airport was first opened in 1916 and was originally used as abase for Spanish Zeppelins during the first part of the 20th century.Just like many airports during the second world war, it was subject toexpansion and rigorous improvements. In 1948, runway 07-25 was built,which still exists today. Soon after, a third runway was builtperpendicular to runway 07-25, along with a new passenger terminal andtaxiways. During the 1960s the airport yet again saw expansion, withthe runways being extended, as well as new navigational equipmentbeing installed. At the start of the 1970s, the airport first sawflights to America with Pan American who offered flights to New Yorkvia Lisbon. During the same decade, flights started to Madrid - thisroute has since become one of the most pivotal domestic air routes inthe world. Between the 1970s and 1990s the cargo terminal wasbuilt. 1992 was a critical year for the airport as the city was tohost the Olympic games. It was important that the airport was ready tomeet the increased demand, and as such, the airport expanded again andintroduced airbridges on 24 stands. This was not a wasted endeavour asthe airport within the decade, had hit 10 million passengers peryear. Also, In the middle of this decade, the iconic control tower wasopened.

At the start of the 21st century, plans were laid to build a newshopping area in terminal B and new boarding modules in terminalA. Later in 2003 the third runway (parallel to the runway 07-25) wasmade operational. The next year the runways were improved to offer ILSCategory II/III in both directions. Improvements to the runwaylighting also helped the airport to operate in times of poor/reducedvisibility. In 2009 the new Terminal 1 reopened with an area of500,000 square meters.

Since then, the airport has changed little, but it is possible thatit will expand further. Updates on the infrastructure andcommunication systems are planned and are already underway. High speedrail connections and improved road access are also being considered aswell as a new terminal on the north eastern area of the site.

The Airport Today

The airport today handles over 50 million passengers through itsdoors per year, this makes the airport the seventh busiest inEurope. With two terminals it sits only behind Madrid with four asthe second largest airport in Spain. The airport plays host to over 50airlines serving destinations as far away as Sao Paulo Brazil and HongKong. The airport is also the home of low-cost carriers Vueling andLevel. But unlike many UK airports, Barcelona is owned and operatedunder a government company called Aena.

Installation

With any Aerosoft product the installation process is quick, simpleand easy. Usually all you have to do is hit a few buttons and within fiveminutes the airport is installed. Barcelona professional is nodifferent, as it sports a traditional, simple installation process,which comes in very handy for people like me with very littletechnical knowledge who sometimes can even struggle to turn on acomputer.

However, during the installation process, I was unexpectedlysurprised to be offered a chart viewer to view LEBL charts. I reallylike this feature, as it's nice not to have to go digging aroundonline (or in folders), to find the relevant charts. However, don'texpect to get a whole collection of airport charts like a Navigraphsubscription. Instead you only get the airport that you have justpurchased, in this case, Barcelona. All the same, I believe this to bea smashing idea by the folks at Aerosoft!

Configuration Tools

After you have installed the product, you are provided with a menuoption in which to select and deselect various aspects of the scenery(as shown below).

If you have a sensitive system where you need to watch thoseframe rates, it can be helpful to play about with this feature, asthis could help optimise performance.

In addition, you can also access the manual using this app. Themanual itself is online so you will need an internet connection. Ipersonally felt the manual to be very lacking, as it only had detailsabout installation and a few other features. Also, the manual had manysections written in different languages which made it more difficultto read.

Non-Commercial Flights

For non-commercial flights there is parking available in the northwestern area of the airport near the Iberia maintenance hangar. Thisis labelled on Jeppesen maps as areas R-0 and R-1. Stands 1 - 71 areused for parking a range of aircraft including light Cessnas, tolarger aircraft like the Falcon 900 business jet. This apron has aunique layout because after stands 1 - 11 they gradually get bigger andfurther apart. The area is highly detailed with beautiful groundtextures, just like the rest of the airport. There is also a privateterminal called 'Terminal Corporativa' which is modelled with someexcellent office buildings.

Taxiway And Signage

The detailed signage on the taxiways and aprons makes it easy tofind your stand with very little trouble. As well as being accurateand clear, they also look realistic both during the day and night.

The textures include dirt patches and multiple cracks, which addseven more realism. My only criticism however, is that the cracks seemto be repeated across multiple areas, which slightly downgrades theexperience. Overall though, the taxiways look fantastic and realistic.Most of the taxiways themselves are made of asphalt and this can beobserved by the black textures used on most of the taxiways. Whenentering the ramp however, the textures turn grey to replicateconcrete, which again, is highly authentic.

Cargo And Passenger Terminal Buildings

When it comes to the terminal buildings, they are beautifullymodelled and highly accurate. Terminal 1 has a full interior modelled(something not seen on the majority of airport sceneries), and whichadds to the authenticity and overall experience. Many details such asflight information screens, passengers and the boarding gatesthemselves are present, and it all looks fantastic. However, I amslightly disappointed that this feature could not be replicated forTerminal 2.

When it comes to the cargo terminal, the level of detailing is nodifferent. There are many superb buildings placed in accurate areas,and as such, you can really tell that Aerosoft have got a real eye fordetail. Of course, all the cargo operators such as DHL and FedEx havetheir own buildings which are included, and placed appropriately.

One of the things I did notice however, was that there were nostatic aircraft. This was a feature included in previous versions ofthe scenery, but Aerosoft have not included it in the V4 version. Inall honesty though, I have to say this is a feature I will not miss,as I felt the static aircraft on the FSX version where lacking indetail.

The Automatic Docking System is available on most of the stands,and will place your aircraft on its associated parking line (dependingon aircraft).

The jetways themselves are well modelled and are just like the realones found at Barcelona, but unfortunately, they are not SODE bydefault. It is possible to enable SODE jetways by downloading a patchfrom the Sim-wings web site.

The Iberia maintenance hangar stands as a towering building acrossthe entire complex, and as I had seen photos of the hangar doors open(showing aircraft inside), I was eager to see if this was possible inthis scenery. However, after investigating, I cannot find a way toopen the doors as they are closed by default.

You can also find many airport vehicles scattered about the place,such as push back tugs and passenger buses. These animated vehiclesstick to the roads and do not cross live taxiways or runways, so thereis no danger of crashing into them whilst taxiing about.

Runways

The runways themselves feature many small details that yet againadd to the authenticity of the scenery. They are covered in tire markswhich adds to a slightly worn look. Also, just like the realBarcelona, they have rapid exits almost everywhere. The piano keys andmarkings are placed where you would expect them to be, and overallprovide a very good representation.

Lighting

One of the main advantages of using P3D V4, is its use of dynamiclighting. This is perhaps most noticeable at night, as stands,terminal buildings and runways all look great. Compared to the FSXversion, it is a big improvement. You can now see 3D lights on therunways, and the difference they make is quite remarkable.

The only criticism I have with the lighting is the intensity ofthem near the runways. The flashing orange lights that you see beforeyou get on the runway are dim, as are the taxiway signs.

Performance

When it comes to performance it is important to note that this willdiffer for everyone. Different specifications of computers mean thatsome may be able to deliver more FPS (frames per second) thanothers. I have just purchased a new PC specially for P3D V4, but Iwould not describe it as top of the line. As such I keep my FPS lockedat 24 FPS, as I find this setting to be the most optimal. During thewhole time I was testing this product, I had no freezing issues, norany other similar issues even when using Active Sky, GSX andVpilot.

Surrounding Areas

Aerosoft have also included a photo scenery with this product, andone I believe enhances the scenery no end. When flying an approach torunway 25R, you can see the beautiful city of Barcelona to your right,and in my mind, makes for one of the most picturesque approaches inEurope!

GSX

If the airport cache is up to date, you should have no issues usingGSX. GSX is seamlessly integrated with this airport, and I experiencedno issues whatsoever. However, I would prefer to use the dockingsystem to help me park, rather than the marshaller, just to ensure Ipark right on the line.

Conclusion

Overall, I am very impressed with this version of Barcelona fromAerosoft. Thanks in part to P3D v4, this upgraded scenery offers afantastic experience both during the day and at night. Combined withfantastic performance as well as large amounts of detail, this airportis certainly high on my favorites list (I just can't get enough offlying into and out of this airport). There are only one or two smallthings that could be improved on, but these are all minor.

So, if you are looking to fly into the great Catalan city ofBarcelona, then Aerosoft's P3D V4 version is definitely one of thebest!

Technical Requirements:

• Lockhead Martin Prepar3D V4
• Microsoft Windows 7 / 8 / 10 (64 bit)
• CPU: Quad Core with 3.5 GHz
• Ram: 16 GB DDR4 RAM (2666 MHz)
• Graphics card: 4GB VRAM, DirectX 11
• Disk Space: 5.8 GB free disk space
• Download size: 5.7 GB

My System Details:

• Intel Core I5-9600K CPU@ 3.7 GHz OC to 4.6 GHz
• Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
• RAM: 8GB 2400 MHz
• 1TB hard Drive Space
• Windows 10
• Cool Master Seidon 240

Alex Dickinson

Purchase Aerosoft - Mega Airport Barcelona Professional