Mount Everest Airport Series Volume 2 enters beta phase
The second part after our successful Volume 1 with Lukla goes into testing. We have attached some pictures of the beautiful airport of Phaplu and its surroundings. To get some more information about the airfield and the included parts in the scenery, we have summarised the following information for you to get as excited about the release as we are.
Phaplu is the closest airport to Mount Everest that is connected to the national road network. Due to the increasing number of tourists, there are more and more scheduled flights to this airport, which is not only another gateway to Everest, but a beautiful destination in itself, nestled in a lush green landscape. The airport has an interesting location on a hillside, with the apron carved into the terrain and the tower and terminal perched on a high wall that follows the runway. Be careful when taxiing here, as you wouldn't be the first pilot to touch the wall with your wingtip! Approaches to the airport, however, are made difficult by the harsh wind conditions in the valley. Strong winds mean that the airport closes at midday, so flights are limited to the early hours of the morning when the weather is usually good for flying. Gusts of 43 knots have been recorded here. As a bonus, there's another challenging airport included in this package: Kangel Danda, which sits spectacularly on the top of a mountain between Rumjatar and Lukla. There are steep cliffs at either end of the runway, so you can quickly gain ground clearance without having to climb. Recently there have been plans to resume scheduled flights here, as the communications equipment was destroyed in a thunderstorm and little effort has been made to repair it for years. The goats that graze the airport are happy to use it as a welcome pasture.
Features:
Detailed 3D terrain models of Phaplu and Kangel Danda airports with high-resolution photorealistic textures.
Newly built Phaplu secondary apron.
Monastery
Lots of animated people and animals
Animated ground traffic (check out the tuktuks!)
Realistic night lighting
Various typical sounds- Detailed manual
CONS: No flat runway