Introduction

G'day mate, s'me again!

Today, we're going all the way to Katoomba, Australia.

Katoomba Airfield is 7 miles from the town of Medlow Bath, NewSouth Wales, and has an elevation level of 3280 feet. That's 11.5km and 999 m in funny talk! It is closed to the public, onlyremaining open for the emergency services, but shhh...flight simmingallows us to break that rule!

Katoomba Airfield has a long history dating back to the RoyalAustralian Army in 1925, when a survey of the surrounding BlueMountains region identified land suitable for an airport site. Thissite was developed and officially opened in 1969 by Harold Coates MP(then State Member for Blue Mountains) and Ern Lesslie (then Mayor ofBlue Mountains Council).

From its opening in 1969 the airfield provided an air "Safety Ramp"for general aviation, being the only fixed aircraft landing areabetween Sydney and Central West NSW. In 2008 the commercial leaseexpired and the Government of NSW proposed the sale of airfield land;however, Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) were opposed to the saleand reaffirmed its position that the land should be part of BlueMountains National Park. An agreement was eventually reached and theland was then occupied on monthly arrangement until 2017. Minimalcommercial activities occurred in this time and, as such, the airfieldbegan to fall into disrepair.

Installation

As should always be the case for a scenery of this size,installation is very simple and straightforward. Simply download thesmall zip file (50 MB in size), unzip it, and then place it in theMicrosoft Flight Simulator "Community" folder. No messing around withscenery layers like with past versions of Flight Simulator.

Documentation

There is no documentation to speak of, but then again for theprice, you can't expect that much. A simple Google search and thenwiki will tell you all that you need to know.

Walkaround

Characteristic of many of the smaller airfields in Australia,Katoomba (YKAT) is your basic bush airfield. Set deep in the BlueMountains, it is the tell-tale footprint of man in an otherwise wildand secluded setting, an airfield surrounded on all sides by forestry.

True to the ever-widening circle of health and safety, the closeproximity of power lines leading to civilisation are made more visibleto pilots through the use of brightly colored 'balloons' that adornthem.

Coming in to land, only smaller aircraft with STOL (Short Take Offand Landing) capabilities can successfully negotiate the short,unsealed runway. But expect no help from runway guidelines or lightingbecause you will not find any. Instead, you will find a few tiresmarking the point of no return. Once you have safely landed, with youand your aircraft intact, there is a real sense of hushed isolationaround you, the sort you can only find when surrounded by nature.

Look around and you will see a few corrugated iron hangars andsheds weathered and rusted, as you would expect, by the hand ofnature. There is also a nice amount of clutter, such as piles ofbrick, sand and gravel, giving the airfield a bit more life to it, aswell as the odd battered aircraft, waiting for its own new spark oflife. Want to make a call? No worries, there is a nearby gathering ofmobile phone masts too, so connection should not be a problem! A niceadded touch to this airfield is the small memorial dedicated to flyinginstructor, Rodney Hall, who sadly died in a tragic accident in2016. He is sorely missed by many, I am sure.

Moving on to texture and lighting...

Well, it really is very good considering the airfield's tiny pricetag. Ok, it's not highly detailed (it cannot be for the asking price)but there is some lovely night-time lighting to be had, which onlyadds to its appeal.

Conclusion

Weighing up what I have seen against its price tag of $5.90 US(£4.29), it is definitely value for money and well worthconsidering if you enjoy flights around Oz. It may not be the mostdetailed, but encased by the Blue Mountains and only 46 nm (nauticalmiles) east of Sydney, it is a great starting point for those of youwho like to fly 'real-time'.

Felicity Smith

Purchase MSX Creations - YKAT Katoomba For MSFS 2020