xp+10+reviews + KMIA

Santiago Butnaru’s latest airport project for X-Plane – KMIA Miami International Airport – is his largest single scenery project to date, and I’d have to say after watching his work progress over the past year or so that it is by far his best work to date. There are a few rough areas, a few stretched textures, but all in all the end results are really spectacular.

The inevitable question will soon arise: is this one as good as the best files put out by ORBX or AeroSoft? And I’m not sure that’s a relevant question – yet. When we see major league FsX files in XP then we’ll be able to compare, but until then I think the only fair way to judge this file is to look at and compare it to other payware airports made explicitly for X-Plane. In quality it compares favorably with the best that Tom Curtis has done, notably KSEA and KSFO, but Santiago’s KMIA is huge in comparison to either of these. In fact, the sheer scale of KMIA dwarfs any other previous effort in XP save perhaps XPFR’s LFPG Paris CDG. I mention this as it may well be one of the most important features of this release. When you approach this area the size of the airport is immediately apparent, and the closer you get to the airport while in the pattern the more impressive it becomes.

Now let’s look at the basics, starting with this information from Wikipedia:

“Miami International Airport (IATA: MIA, ICAO: KMIA, FAA LID: MIA), also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area. The airport is a hub for passenger airlines American Airlines, Executive Airlines under the American Eagle name; cargo airlines, UPS Airlines and FedEx Express; and charter airline Miami Air. It is a focus airport for LAN Airlines and its subsidiaries, both for passengers and cargo operations. Miami International Airport has passenger and cargo flights to cities throughout the Americas and Europe, as well as the Canary Islands off the African coast, and cargo flights to Asia; it is South Florida’s main airport for long-haul international flights.

“Miami International Airport is the largest gateway between the United States and Latin America, and is one of the largest airline hubs in the United States, owing to its proximity to tourist attractions, local economic growth, large local Latin American and European populations, and strategic location to handle connecting traffic between North America, Latin America, and Europe. In the past, it has been a hub for Braniff International Airways, Eastern Air Lines, Air Florida, the original National Airlines, the original Pan Am, United Airlines, and Iberia. Miami International is also the proposed hub of two new start-up airlines, one of which hopes to use the Eastern Airlines name.

“In 2010 the airport ranked first in the United States by percentage of international flights and second by volume of international passengers, behind only New York-JFK. In 2010, 35,698,025 passengers traveled through the airport, making the airport the 28th busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic. The Airport also ranks as the 12th busiest airport in the United States by annual passenger count and is the largest airport in the state of Florida, surpassing Orlando by a small margin. The airport also handled more international cargo than any other airport in the United States.”

What Santiago has pulled off here is wonderful news for X-Plane. The passenger terminals are accurate enough to be used as training aids for commercial pilots, and the same can be said for the vast cargo terminals spread all around the airport grounds. Taxiways are dead on accurate, and about the only over flaw I’ve found is not the result of anything Santiago has done but the way OSM draws streets around the SE portion of the airport proper.

If you’ll look in the Google imagery below, note the golf course in the bottom right of the image, and a “long term” parking lot just to the west of this golf course. In XP10 this area is full of suburban housing, surrounding the fuel tanks and encroaching onto the taxiways and aprons by Terminal J. It’s ridiculous but there’s nothing Santiago can do about it until the proper tools for dealing with it are released by Laminar.

+++++

Looking over the Google Earth image above ought to give you some idea of the true scope and scale of this airport, so now look over Santiago’s rendition – from about the same relative height. OSM data about the golf course and housing development are obviously not there in XP10, and the general industrial nature of the surroundings in Miami renders as housing in XP10, but the airport proper in 10 just looks outstanding.

And zooming in (above) reveals that Santiago’s version is laid out exactly like the original. Static aircraft are at appropriate gates/concourse/terminals, the ramps are oil stained and scuffed, motorways are exceptionally well done, and appropriate foliage is placed (and yes, lots of palm trees are included!).

Here’s the list of carriers and destinations served:

Aerolíneas Argentinas	Buenos Aires-Ezeiza	J
Aeroméxico	Cancún, Mexico City, Monterrey	F
Aeroméxico	Mérida, Mexico City	F
AeroSur	Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Viru Viru	F
Air Berlin	Berlin-Tegel, Düsseldorf	E
Air Canada	Toronto-Pearson, Montréal-Trudeau	J
Air France	Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pointe-à-Pitre, Port-au-Prince, Santo Domingo	H
AirTran Airways	Baltimore	G
Alaska Airlines	Seattle/Tacoma	E
Alitalia	Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino	J
American Airlines	Antigua, Aruba, Atlanta, Barbados, Barcelona, Baltimore, Belize City, Belo Horizonte-Confins, Bermuda, Bogotá, Boston, Brasília, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Cali, Cancún, Caracas, Chicago-O’Hare, Curaçao, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, Grand Cayman, Grenada, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Hartford, Houston-Intercontinental, Kingston, La Paz, Las Vegas, Liberia, Lima, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Madrid, Managua, Maracaibo, Medellín-Córdova, Mexico City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montego Bay, Montevideo, Montréal-Trudeau, New Orleans, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Orlando, Panama City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain, Providenciales, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Quito, Raleigh/Durham, Recife, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, St. Croix, St. Kitts, St. Louis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Salvador da Bahia, San Salvador, Santa Cruz de la Sierra-Viru Viru, San Francisco, San José de Costa Rica, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, Santiago de Chile, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Tampa, Tegucigalpa, Toronto-Pearson, Valencia (Venezuela), Washington-Dulles, Washington-National, Eagle/Vail, La Romana, Nashville, Tulsa, Havana	D, E
American Eagle	Atlanta, Birmingham (AL), Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, Columbus (OH), Gainesville, George Town, Greensboro, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Jacksonville, La Romana, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville, Nassau, Norfolk, Pensacola, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Tallahassee	D, E
American Eagle	Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Fort Myers, Freeport, George Town, Governor’s Harbour, Havana, Holguín, Jacksonville (FL), Key West, Marsh Harbour, Nassau, North Eleuthera, Santiago de Cuba, Savannah, Treasure Cay, Havana	D
Arkefly	Amsterdam	F
Avianca	Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena de Indias, Medellín-Córdova	J
Avior Airlines	Barcelona (Venezuela)	F
Bahamasair	Nassau	G
British Airways	London-Heathrow	E
Caribbean Airlines	Georgetown, Kingston, Port of Spain	J
Cayman Airways	Cayman Brac, Grand Cayman	F
Copa Airlines	Panama City	H, J
Corsairfly	Paris-Orly	F
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky [ends April 30, 2012], Detroit, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Memphis [ends April 30, 2012], Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Havana	H
Delta Connection	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky	H
Delta Connection	Memphis, Orlando, Tampa	H
Delta Connection	Raleigh/Durham	H
IBC Airways	Cap Haitien	J
Iberia	Barcelona, Madrid	E
Insel Air	Bonaire, Curaçao, Port-au-Prince, Punta Cana, St. Maarten	F
Interjet	Mexico City	TBC
KLM	Amsterdam	H
LAN Airlines	Bogotá, Cancún, Caracas, Guayaquil, Punta Cana, Santiago de Chile	J
LAN Argentina	Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Punta Cana	J
LAN Colombia	Bogotá	J
LAN Ecuador	Guayaquil, Quito	J
LAN Perú	Lima	J
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Düsseldorf	J
SBA Airlines	Caracas, Maracaibo	F
Sky King	Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguín, Santiago de Cuba	F, G
Sun Country Airlines	Minneapolis/St. Paul	F
Surinam Airways	Aruba, Georgetown-Cheddi Jagan [begins April 3, 2012], Paramaribo	F
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich	J
TACA Airlines	Guatemala City, Managua, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Tegucigalpa, Roatán	J
TACA Airlines	San José de Costa Rica	J
TACA Perú	Lima	J
TAM Airlines	Belo Horizonte-Confins, Brasília, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro-Galeão, São Paulo-Guarulhos	J
Transaero Airlines	Moscow-Domodedovo	F
TAP Portugal	Lisbon	J
United Airlines	Denver, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Chicago-O’Hare, Cleveland, Washington-Dulles, Havana	G
United Express	Cleveland	G
United Express	Chicago-O’Hare, Washington-Dulles	G
United Express	Chicago-O’Hare, Washington-Dulles	G
US Airways	Charlotte, Philadelphia	J
Virgin Atlantic Airways	London-Heathrow	F
VivaAerobus	Monterrey	G
WestJet	Toronto-Pearson	F

And with that in mind, here are the individual terminals:

Some texture stretching is apparent  but as with Midway (KMDW) interiors of some buildings are modeled, while passengers, lounges, and flight information boards are visible from many areas on the ramps. You’ll find some lonely FOs walking around the ramps too!

Below, some overheads and closeups of Terminal D, American Airline’s main concourse.

And below, Terminal J – the main international facility.

And the all important air cargo facilities are completely modeled as well:

And here’s the list of air cargo operators:

ABSA Cargo Airline	Bogota, Caracas, Fortaleza, Guayaquil, Lima, Manaus, Medellín-Córdova, Panama City, Quito, Campinas-Viracopos, Vitoria
ABX Air	Cincinnati, Paramaribo, Santo Domingo
Air Atlanta Icelandic	New York-JFK, Oslo-Garderomen
Air Transport International	Guatemala City, Medellín-Cordova, Panama City, San Jose de Costa Rica
Amerijet International	Aruba, Belize City, Campinas, Curitiba, Lima, Manaus, Maracaibo, Merida, Mexico City, Paramaribo, Port of Spain, Salvador, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvador, Santiago de los Caballeros, Santo Domingo, St. Maarten
Atlas Air	Chicago-O’Hare, Lima, Manaus, Oslo-Gardermoen, Campinas-Viracopos, Rio de Janeiro
Cathay Pacific Cargo	Anchorage, Hong Kong, Houston-Intercontinental
Capital Cargo International Airlines	Merida, Orlando, Toledo
Caribbean Airlines Cargo	Barbados, Georgetown, Kingston, Port of Spain
Cargolux	Houston-Intercontinental, Luxembourg, Mexico City
Cayman Airways Cargo	Grand Cayman
Centurion Air Cargo	Bogota, Caracas, Iquitos, Lima, Manaus, Medellin, Quito, Santiago de Chile, Campinas-Viracopos, San Juan
China Airlines Cargo	Anchorage, Atlanta, Seattle/Tacoma, Taipei-Taoyuan
Cielos del Peru	Bogotá, Caracas, Iquitos, Lima, Managua, Manaus, Montevideo, Quito
DHL Express	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Toledo
DHL Aero Expreso	Panama City, Quito, San Jose de Costa Rica
Estafeta Carga Aérea	Cancun, Merida
FedEx Express	Memphis, Quito, San Juan, Valencia (Venezuela)
Florida West International Airways	Bogotá, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Lima, Los Angeles, Manaus, Medellin, Quito, Santo Domingo, San Jose de Costa Rica
IBC Airways	Freeport, Grand Cayman, Havana, Kingston, Marsh Harbour, Montego Bay, Nassau, Port-au-Prince, Providenciales
Korean Air Cargo	Anchorage, Brussels, Dallas/Fort Worth, Lima, New York-JFK, Seoul-Incheon, Toronto-Pearson
LAN Cargo	Amsterdam, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Campinas-ViracoposCaracas, Curitiba, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Lima, Manaus, Montevideo, Porto Alegre, Quito, San Jose de Costa Rica, San Miguel de Tucumán
Linea Aérea Carguera de Colombia	Bogotá, Curitiba, Manaus, Medellin, Quito, Campinas-Viracropos
Martinair Cargo	Amsterdam, Bogotá, Buenos Aires-Ezezia, Campinas-Viracopos, Guayaquil, Lima, Quito, Santiago de Chile
MasAir	Mexico City
Mountain Air Cargo	Freeport, Kingston
Skyway Enterprises	Nassau
Tampa Cargo	Asunción, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Lima, Manaus, Medellin-Córdova, Montevideo, Quito
Tradewinds Airlines	Lima
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos	Cochabamba, Panama City, Santa Cruz de la Sierra
UPS Airlines	Bogotá, Greenville/Spartanburg, Guatemala City, Guayaquil, Jacksonville (FL), Lima, Louisville, Managua, Philadelphia, Quito, San Jose de Costa Rica, San Pedro Sula, Santo Domingo, Campinas-Viracopos, West Palm Beach
Venezolana Servicios Expresos	Caracas, Maracaibo
World Airways Cargo	Bogota, Caracas, Cali, Campinas-Viracopos, Lima, Manaus, Quito

There are three primary east/west runways, as well as a shorter NW/SE (12/30) runway; there are 12 air cargo terminals (all modeled), several FBOs (ditto), so all told there are forty-+ buildings modeled here!

And once again, when you enter the pattern here and see the scale of this airport – and the obvious detail seen from pattern altitude – it’s just a sight to behold.

LITs are more vibrant in XP9 right now, and the file works in v10 but does not have XP10 compliant lighting onboard yet. It will soon, and will of course be a no-cost update. Still, the airport looks okay in XP10 right now, as you can see in this series below:

Of course, you’ll have all those AI aircraft to contend with in XP10, too!

Framerates? In XP9 with ALL rendering and settings at maximum/insane settings I was registering 19FPS; in XP10 with all objects at maximum, res at HIGH, and HDR at max I was getting averages around 28 in the x737 and DHL752, and 30 in Samen’s A346. I kept clouds/reflections simple except for a few mood shots, and frames fell about 5fps when I did.

So, the real question left in my mind? What’s next?! KJFK or O’Hare?

There’s no question about this file in my mind, however.

It’s a great airport, and a great airport file, and at the price (14.95USD) it’s a great value. It will be interesting to see how well it stacks up against the big boys. ORBX and Aerosoft have a huge head start on Santiago, but give him a few months. There’s no telling how good his files are going to get, but if KMIA is any indication it might not be too long before Santiago is considered the best in the business.

We’ll have a few more observations from FlightTime56 on this file as soon as he reports in, but that’s all for now. Drop on by the OrgStore and get your copy today!

Later, C