Introduction

Ted Stevens Anchorage InternationalAirport is a major airport in the U.S. state of Alaska, located 5miles southwest of downtown Anchorage. The airport is named for TedStevens, a U.S. senator from Alaska in office from 1968 to 2009.

Built in 1951, the airport was served in the 1950s by AlaskaAirlines, Northwest Orient, Pacific Northern Airlines and ReeveAleutian Airways, using aircraft ranging from Douglas DC-3s to Boeing377s, and was also a refuelling stop for Canadian Pacific Air Linesservice to the Far East. From 1955 to 2011, the eastern end of theairport's southernmost runway connected to the Kulis Air NationalGuard Base.

By the mid-1980s the airport's nickname was "Crossroads of theWorld". Anchorage was a common stopover for passengers flying betweenEurope and East Asia, because airspace in China, the Soviet Union andEastern Bloc countries were off-limits and because the firstgeneration of jets and widebody airliners did not have the range tofly non-stop across the Pacific Ocean.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the airport was briefly the busiestin the United States due to sustained volume of cargo flights throughAlaska while passenger travel sharply decreased in other Americanairports.

Flying around Alaska and taking in the incredible scenery issomething I really enjoy doing in P3D. One of the reasons being isthat due to its vastness, it can make you feel small, especially withits impressive mountain ranges and vast open landscapes.

Airport

My first stop was the two main terminal buildings at theairport. The South Terminal (domestic) serves Air Canada, AlaskaAirlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Condor, Delta Air Lines,Frontier Airlines, Sun Country, and United Airlines. All regionalintrastate carriers also use the South Terminal. The South terminalcontains three concourses: Concourse A, Concourse B, and ConcourseC. The area of what is today Concourse C is where the original airportterminal from the 1950s was located.

The North Terminal (international) serves Condor, Japan Airlines,Korean Air, Yakutia Airlines, all international seasonal charterflights, and military flights.

Both terminals were modelled well and displayed the correct scaleand proportions. However, compared to other sceneries created bySim-Wings, I thought the textures weren't quite up to their normalstandards. Along with the main terminal buildings, this section of theairport also contained numerous maintenance facilities and supportbuildings. These also included ground clutter in appropriate areas,thus providing a busy bustling feel to the airport.

Jet bridges are included, but I found the quality of them to berather poor in quality. SODE jet bridges are available, and despitenot actually using them, I would recommend these over the defaultversions.

Cargo Operations

As mentioned in the introduction, cargo traffic plays an importantpart at Ted Stevens, so it's no wonder that you have the likes of DHL,UPS, FedEx, and more stationed here. Numerous smaller buildings arealso located in this area, and whilst these still displayed the samestandard of texturing as the main terminals, I found them to beaccurately placed and well modelled.

Lake Hood

Next door to the main airport is Lake Hood, an extremely largegeneral aviation complex. I have to say this location was a realsurprise, as I didn't expect Sim-Wings to go into so much detail here.

There were so many buildings located in this section of thescenery, along with an abundant array of static aircraft. Yes, a lotof them do look quite basic, but taken as a whole, this area of thescenery is incredibly atmospheric.

Another great feature is that the lake is actually frozen duringthe winter months, so you won't be able to use your floatplane. However, during the summer, the lake returns to water, and youcan...highly realistic and something I really appreciated!

Taxiways, Ramps And Runway Textures

Both runways and taxiways have been modelled accurately and withgreat care. The concrete textures especially are worthy of highpraise. Not only were the textures clear when viewed close up, butthey also showed signs of weathering (rubber marks, cracks, etc.).

The same quality and accuracy was visible in the ramp areas, with alot of the stands having a white texture around them. Airport signageand markings were also done to a good standard and again, accuratelyplaced.

Night Lighting

The lighting effects at Ted Stevens were excellent. Runways andtaxiways are lit to great effect as are the numerous hangars andmaintenance facilities. Flying into the airport at night is reallyquite something.

Documentation

As well as the usual English/German installation guide typical ofAerosoft products, there are also charts which can be viewed online.

Performance

Considering the number of objects used in the scenery, performancewas outstanding. I've had the pleasure of using sceneries by Sim-Wingsin the past and they have always performed well, and Ted Stevens is noexception. Total VRAM usage when running on my preferred graphicssettings was a mere 2.6 GB, with frame rates holding steady at a locked30 FPS.

Conclusion

In summing up, I have to say that I enjoyed my time at Ted Stevens,even more so at Lake Hood. The main airport is well laid out with goodmodelling of the terminal buildings and associated maintenancefacilities. The only downside was the quality of the textures used, asthey felt more akin to FSX than P3D. If you're happy to live withthat, then I think you'll really enjoy the scenery. However, ifyou're looking for photorealism, then you'll probably going to comeaway disappointed. At the end of the day, Aerosoft's Ted Stevensmakes for a great starting point in which to explore Alaska. All youhave to do is decide on which direction to go...

Alex Dickinson

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