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Review: Orbx Orcas IslandBy Shawn Weigelt /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-01.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-02.jpgWe all have our favorite airports,right? Whether it be a favorite launching point or a favoritedestination, everyone in the flight simming community has those placeswhere the love to fly. For me, one of my absolute favorite localesfor cruising the X-Plane 11 world in a light general aviation airplaneis Washington's scenic San Juan Islands. Located smack dab betweenthe southern tip of British Columbia's Vancouver Island andWashington's northernmost coast line, the rugged San Juans are afavorite destination among locals to escape the rat race and live the,"island life", either on vacation or permanently. Residents love theislands for the quaint, small town, lifestyle they offer, and touristslove them for their rugged natural beauty and abundant recreationalopportunities. Only accessible by boat or airplane, numerous smallairports are scattered throughout the San Juans, providing pilotswith a multitude of options for accessing nearly all of the islands.The most active airport of these is KFHR Friday Harbor Airport, withKORS Orcas Island Airport being a close second. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-03.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-04.jpgThat brings us to the topic of this review, the Orbx rendition ofone of Washington's shining jewels of general aviation, and an airportthat embodies the "island life" character of the San Juans, OrcasIsland Airport. Is this somewhat older scenery package ported overfor the current X-Plane 11 platform still a relevant purchase for themodern flight simmer, and how does it compare with Orbx's more recentofferings? Let's find out. This may come as a shock to some of you, but while I have been aWashington resident for the past 10 years, I have never set foot onany of the San Juan Islands. Believe me, it is on my "short list" oflocales in the state I would like to visit, but my busy schedulehasn't yet permitted me to get there. I would like to mention that Ihave been extremely close to the islands (namely San Juan and Lopez)on a whale watching tour out of nearby Anacortes, and immediatelyfound myself enchanted with them. Having grown up on the oppositecoast in the great state of Maine, Washington's San Juan Islandsshare a similar rugged and rocky coastline to that of my home state. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-05.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-06.jpgEver since I started my flight simulation journey back in the headydays of X-Plane 9, I have enjoyed launching from either KTIW TacomaNarrows or other western Washington airports making the San Juans mydestination. I loved flying in and around the islands so much, thatby the time I was creating my own World Editor scenery packages inX-Plane 9 and 10, I decided to make my own rendition of Lopez IslandAirport (S31) for version 10. Other, more skilled scenery designershad already done great freeware renditions of Friday Harbor and OrcasIsland, so Lopez presented a great opportunity to help "flesh out" theregion. Back in my scenery creating days I was always impressed withcompanies on the FSX side of the "aisle" such as Orbx, and drew a lotof my inspiration and attention to detail from them. I spent way toomuch time on the Orbx web site pouring over screen shots and piningfor the day when their products would be available to flight simmersin the X-Plane world. Creating scenery can be hard work and the useof the handy World Editor software was fun but hardly advanced enoughfor the lofty creative aspirations I had in mind. I suppose Icould've ventured down the rabbit hole and tried to learn moreadvanced 3D modeling software such as Sketchup, for example, but thelack of time and patience were definitely working against me.Ultimately, it was my increasingly critical attitude toward my ownwork and the belief that whatever I created wouldn't be "good enough"that made me step away from scenery creation altogether. Though Idesperately wanted my work to rise to Orbx levels of detail, I decidedto direct my creative juices toward the review writing processinstead, and hope that one day, I could be reviewing Orbx caliberscenery for X-Plane! /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-07.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-08.jpgI guess you could say that my wishes have finally come true nowthat I'm writing a review for Orbx's Orcas Island Airport for X-Plane11! That realization finally sunk in for me recently, as I took aflight from the outstandingOrbx Anacortes Airportto Orcas Island in my trustyJust Flight Piper Tomahawk.As the airport began to materialize in the distance, I began to getreally excited for what awaited me on the ground. Though I was flyingunder no wind, standard day conditions, I decided to make my approachover the water from the north for runway 16. This is realistic since,in the real world under calm wind conditions, runway 16 is preferredfor noise abatement purposes. I'd always greatly enjoyed thisapproach back when I was using versions 9 and 10, but seeing it fromthis angle as built by the Orbx team, especially with the adjacentpleasure craft marina, gave me chills up my spine. I was really doingit! I was flying in X-Plane to one of Orbx's oldest and mostlegendary airports! /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-09.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-10.jpgI intentionally landed a little long in my beloved Tomahawk androlled out all the way to the 34 end of the runway before pulling upin front of little beige terminal building to park and shut down. Atthis point I tapped the "C" key on my keyboard and began my virtual"hover tour" of Orcas Island Airport in earnest. The first thing that stuck out to me was all the virtual peoplestanding on the ramp outside of the terminal and those watching the"action" from the other side of the fence. I just want to say thatwhile I definitely appreciate the inclusion of high fidelity 3Dmodeled people as a means of "livening up" any custom scenery package,I immediately found the amount of humanity at Orbx's Orcas Island tobe bordering on the absurd. Though I've never been there in reallife, I do know that, in the grand scheme of things, KORS is arelatively small airport and that people don't flock to small airportsin droves to watch the Cessnas come and go. As much as I lovewatching airplane traffic at small GA airports, I am not naive enoughto believe that the general population loves it as much as I do.Sure, Orcas Island has a cool airport, but the airport itself is notthe attraction on what is considered by many to be one of the morescenic of the San Juans. The tourists are off gallivanting aroundthe island and the locals are busy living life. Again, I appreciatethe touch of placing 3D people on custom scenery, but thought that, inthis case, someone on the design team got a little carried away. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-11.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-12.jpgDespite my apparent nit-pick with what I perceive to be anoverabundance of people at Orbx's Orcas Island Airport, what I won'tnit-pick is the attention to detail that has been given throughoutthis scenery package. Everything, from the textures of the pavementand building facades, to the custom built structures and vehicles onsite, oozes authenticity and plausibility. When you fly in and out ofOrcas Island Airport, you will definitely get that feeling of realismthat comes from the high fidelity modeling the Orbx team has builttheir reputation on. Flying to or from this airport, as with all Orbxscenery, feels far more "real" than it does with products from otherscenery development companies, and exponentially more than whatdefault scenery has to offer. What really strikes me with thispackage is how all the buildings are precisely modeled right down topicture perfect signage scattered throughout the package. This kindof realism can only come from "boots on the ground" research on thepart of the development team with numerous real world photos taken onsite and not just a simple Google image search of the location.Someone from Orbx had to have travelled here to get the images theyneeded for development or has an inside source on location. In otherwords, a lot more goes into creating high fidelity scenery packagesthan you may realize and, in my opinion, Orbx is the "best in thebusiness" when it comes to nailing down every little detail. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-13.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-14.jpgAs I hovered around KORS and drank in all the details, I was struckby just how expansive the airport truly is. When you're focused onflying your airplane, it is easy to miss the buildings and littleroads that extend beyond the vicinity of the runway and apron. Thereare dozens of small hangars far removed from the immediacy of therunway, accessed by narrow taxiways. Some of the hangars are open andfilled with light aircraft and general objects that make them feel asthough they are well used. I spent several minutes just cruisingaround all the little nooks and crannies of the airport and taking inall the little details like this. All of the modeling looked greatand building textures were photo realistic. An often-overlooked element to any custom scenery package is thesurrounding flora. Washington is known as the "Evergreen State" andin the western part of the state especially, where Douglas Fir is thedominant tree species. All of the trees surrounding Orbx's OrcasIsland Airport look well textured to match the evergreen nature ofthis beautiful part of the state are and appropriately sized (defaulttrees are often way too tall). This is especially noticeable from theground or close to it, where ill proportioned or geographicallyinaccurate trees would really stick out like a sore thumb. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-15.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-16.jpgThe fact that this is a scenery package that was originally builtfor FS2004, initially gave me pause, as my concern was that KORS wouldlook "dated" by today's modern HD standards. My fears were put torest, however, once I took a hard look at the real thing in X-Plane11. All of the textures are of extremely high quality and all of thecars parked at the field are modern and up-to-date. I have mixed feelings when it comes to 3D grass on an airportscenery package. In some ways I love it and think it adds a degree ofimmersion to the overall experience. On the other hand, 3D grassoften looks patchy and disproportionately higher growing than it oughtto be. As good as Orbx scenery looks, their 3D grass is not immune tothese problems. From a purely textural point of view, Orbx grass issome of the best I have ever seen, but I cannot overlook how it showsup in not only physical clumps on the ground, but also clumps togetherby species. The big patches of tall, yellow grass don't look goodscattered throughout the scenery and kill the plausibility for me.One needs only browse the screen shots on the Orbx web site to get anidea of what I'm talking about. I don't want to complain too much,here, since I don't have the answer for how to fix these grass issues.Going overboard with grass application in an effort to eliminate thepatches can have a severe impact on frame rates so, for now, I thinkthe only solution is to live with it how it is. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-17.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-18.jpgAll in all, I have been extremely impressed with yet anotherstellar offering from the Orbx development team for the X-Plane 11user base. Despite being an older scenery, Orcas Island Airport is notlacking compared with some of Orbx's more recent releases. On thecontrary, KORS looks every bit as good as products like Anacortes andTacoma Narrows. Orcas Island Airport also blends in seamlessly withOrbx's TrueEarth WashingtonHD scenery package, which takes all the worry out of the equation. Idon't have super high speed gaming computer, rather a modest, middleof the road iMac, that runs X-Plane 11 at a respectable, if not,blistering speed. My frame rates in and around KORS do take a slighthit, but it was nothing my machine wasn't able to contend with, evenwhile flying in a very high fidelity airplane in the Just Flight PiperTomahawk. Orcas Island Airport performs graphically just as well asall of the other Orbx scenery I have reviewed thus far. /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-19.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-20.jpgFinally, the Orbx Orcas Island Airport is priced attractively at$23.59 USD over on their web site. This is not prohibitivelyexpensive for the flight simmer who only casually flies in the PacificNorthwest, but for someone like me, who spends nearly all my flightsimming time in this region, this scenery package is money well spent. Shawn Weigelt Purchase Orbx - KORS Orcas Island Airport /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-21.jpg /images/reviews/orbxorca/t/orcas-island-22.jpg

/images/notams/notams19/orbx0926.jpgWe are pleased to announce three airports for TrueEarth USAWashington and Oregon are now available to purchase. KORS Orcas Island for Washington7S3 Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark and WA79 Walter Sutton's Airstrip for OregonPlease note that you will require the 1.1.0 version of TrueEarthWashington & Oregon for full compatibility. 7S3 Stark's Twin Oaks AirparkThe Bill Womack Classic Finally for X-Plane! Nestled in therolling farmland of the fertile Willamette Valley near Portland,Oregon, Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark is ideally located for sightseeingin the Pacific Northwest. The rural location makes for less trafficand a relaxed atmosphere, while providing an easy jumping-off pointfor flights to either the coast to the west, or the rugged peaks ofthe Cascade range to the east. The scenery includes a large area of30cm/pixel aerial photoreal terrain, featuring the various orchards,Alpaca ranches and small farms in the area. One special point ofinterest in the area is the massive Glacier rock quarry, located a fewmiles to the southeast of the field. /images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/starks.jpgTwin Oaks is carved from the side of a gentle slope and, as aresult, the Starks' house, garage, and two of the hangars are on ahill overlooking the rest of the field. Lead developer Bill Womack hasobsessively researched and photographed the airport over the last fewyears, with the enthusiastic support of owners Bob and BettyStark. Several years in the making, we're proud to offer thedefinitive sim rendition of one of Oregon's aviation jewels. This faithful X-Plane port recreates the iconic airfield withremarkable accuracy and is fully integrated into TrueEarth US Oregonincluding custom mesh edits to recreate the famous slope between thehouse and the apron. WA79 Walter Sutton's Private StripWelcome to the charm of Walter Sutton's private airfield! Located in a sleepy hide-away rural valley in southern Washingtonstate (actually not far north of Portland, OR), this grass stripinvites you to land and explore. With a large area of beautifulphotoreal coverage, you'll find plenty to see in the circuit andplenty of the 'little details' on the ground which Orbx is famousfor. /images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/suttons.jpgThis X-Plane version is fully integrated into TrueEarth US Oregonand features unique new vegetation around both airstrips. Made by the same team who created WA56 Israel's Farm, this airfieldoffers the same charm, superbly accurate modeling and a level ofimmersion that you have to experience for yourself. We've alsoincluded the general store, the old abandoned rail works and thepeculiarly named 'Tum Tum', a unique cone shaped hill almost directlyaligned with the runway. WA79 is only a short hop away from Orbx's 7S3Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark. Also includes a bonus airstrip "Walter Musa's"! KORS Orcas Island AirportThis beautifully located airport in the San Juan Islandsrespectfully pay homage to one of the most memorable airfields ever tograce FS2004. This version faithfully recaptures the spirit and charmof the Orcas Island we all remember and love, but also dials up thedetails and definition to 11, providing the most spectacular versionyet. Discover not only the airport as it appears today, but explorethe entire island, with resorts, old watchtowers, animated birdlifeand orcas, keen fishermen, boating and much more. This is truly awondrous island to add to your Orbx collection! /images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/orcas.jpgThe X-Plane version is fully integrated with TrueEarth USWashington and features unique new vegetation and otherenhancements. Source

/images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/orbx0917.jpgWe are pleased to announce three airports for TrueEarth USAWashington and Oregon which have been ported from P3D to XP11: KORS Orcas Island for Washington 7S3 Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark WA79 Walter Sutton's Airstrip for Oregon These iconic classics have been given new life for X-Plane and arean absolute delight to visit and fly between. 7S3 Stark's Twin Oaks AirparkThe Bill Womack Classic Finally for X-Plane! Nestled in therolling farmland of the fertile Willamette Valley near Portland,Oregon, Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark is ideally located for sightseeingin the Pacific Northwest. The rural location makes for less trafficand a relaxed atmosphere, while providing an easy jumping-off pointfor flights to either the coast to the west, or the rugged peaks ofthe Cascade range to the east. The scenery includes a large area of30cm/pixel aerial photoreal terrain, featuring the various orchards,Alpaca ranches and small farms in the area. One special point ofinterest in the area is the massive Glacier rock quarry, located a fewmiles to the southeast of the field. /images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/starks.jpgTwin Oaks is carved from the side of a gentle slope and, as aresult, the Starks' house, garage, and two of the hangars are on ahill overlooking the rest of the field. Lead developer Bill Womack hasobsessively researched and photographed the airport over the last fewyears, with the enthusiastic support of owners Bob and BettyStark. Several years in the making, we're proud to offer thedefinitive sim rendition of one of Oregon's aviation jewels. This faithful X-Plane port recreates the iconic airfield withremarkable accuracy and is fully integrated into TrueEarth US Oregonincluding custom mesh edits to recreate the famous slope between thehouse and the apron. WA79 Walter Sutton's Private StripWelcome to the charm of Walter Sutton's private airfield! Located in a sleepy hide-away rural valley in southern Washingtonstate (actually not far north of Portland, OR), this grass stripinvites you to land and explore. With a large area of beautifulphotoreal coverage, you'll find plenty to see in the circuit andplenty of the 'little details' on the ground which Orbx is famousfor. /images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/suttons.jpgThis X-Plane version is fully integrated into TrueEarth US Oregonand features unique new vegetation around both airstrips. Made by the same team who created WA56 Israel's Farm, this airfieldoffers the same charm, superbly accurate modeling and a level ofimmersion that you have to experience for yourself. We've alsoincluded the general store, the old abandoned rail works and thepeculiarly named 'Tum Tum', a unique cone shaped hill almost directlyaligned with the runway. WA79 is only a short hop away from Orbx's 7S3Stark's Twin Oaks Airpark. Also includes a bonus airstrip "Walter Musa's"! KORS Orcas Island AirportThis beautifully located airport in the San Juan Islandsrespectfully pay homage to one of the most memorable airfields ever tograce FS2004. This version faithfully recaptures the spirit and charmof the Orcas Island we all remember and love, but also dials up thedetails and definition to 11, providing the most spectacular versionyet. Discover not only the airport as it appears today, but explorethe entire island, with resorts, old watchtowers, animated birdlifeand orcas, keen fishermen, boating and much more. This is truly awondrous island to add to your Orbx collection! /images/notams/notams19/orbx0917/orcas.jpgThe X-Plane version is fully integrated with TrueEarth USWashington and features unique new vegetation and otherenhancements. Source