Aerosoft recently released I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (WADD) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, bringing a new exotic location to the growing world of the sim.
The airport is located in an extremely scenic area on a narrow strip of land wedged between two gulfs, and it’s the second busiest airport in Indonesia.
It sees a lot of regular airline traffic year-round, but it’s perfectly suitable for general aviation, cargo, and charter operations as well. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the most lively airports I’ve seen in Microsoft Flight Simulator thanks to the live traffic feature (and AI aircraft don’t appear to encounter issues, which isn’t always the case with all third-party scenery).
You can purchase it on Aerosoft’s own store for approximately €20 including applicable VAT and it comes with its own installer. Getting things ready to go quick and painless and Aerosoft also has its own updater, which helps in keeping all of its products in tip-top shape.
The package comes with its comprehensive set of charts, which is always a very welcome bonus and adds to the value of the add-on for those who don’t use a dedicated subscription service.
If you’d like to take a look at what the airport looks like, you can enjoy a video above showing the spectacular ILS approach to runway 27 (using FlyByWire’s A32NX’s new autoland feature, which has no issue with this airport).
The second video below showcases an extensive look around the airport in a variety of lighting and weather conditions.
The approaches work correctly, and so do all the SIDs and STARs. All the taxiways and parking gates and ramps are also properly implemented and labeled, so you can expect precise guidance from ATC to and from the runways.
The only small issue with the functional implementation is the lack of ability to call a fuel truck, which some third-party developers still seem to forget. It’s mostly cosmetic, but there is no reason to omit it.
It’s impossible to talk about the value of this airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator without spending a few words about its location. As I mentioned before, it’s one of the most spectacularly located airports in the sim and the proximity of 3,031 meters-tall Mount Agung makes each approach to runway 27 a sight to behold alongside the final over the Gulf of Benoa.
The unpredictable weather due to the tropical climate paired with the presence of nearby mountains also helps to make things interesting.
Speaking of the approach, one of the most welcome elements of this scenery is that the work done by its developers extends much beyond the airport’s fence.
A-Flight worked hard in adding plenty of custom buildings across the whole area of Kuta, not only implementing landmarks like mosques and malls, but also replacing many of the default urban buildings in Microsoft Flight Simulator with models that feel more authentic to the location, improving the view considerably.
They have done extensive work to fix the coastline of the Gulf of Benoa, restoring its beautiful forest of Mangroves that was obliterated by the default simulator’s procedural AI, which mistook its dark green hue as water. On top of that, they replaced the frankly dreadful default placeholder for the iconic (and very visible) Bali Mandara Toll Road with a much better model including its toll gates built to imitate traditional Balinese architecture.
Admittedly, the textures of these far-away buildings aren’t to call home about, but you’re supposed to see from the flight deck while flying, and they do their job.
All this work (and more) done to enrich the surrounding area is something I’ll never stop praising. While it’s nice to have a good-looking airport when you’re parked and taxiing around, take-off and landings are the most exciting parts of a flight, and if the scenery around the airport isn’t up to the task, that experience is negatively impacted.
The orthophoto that serves as the base for the airport is good and nicely decorated with vegetation. An issue can be found in the construction area at the western end of the airport. In the real world, it’s dominated by rather tall piles of sand, but in this reproduction the area is flat.
The texture work of runways and taxiways is also very well done. They are of the correct color and the markings are appropriate on both the north and south aprons.
There is plenty of weathering, and the developers also reproduced the black marks left by the old taxiway lines deleted when the aprons were overhauled. The only issue is that some kind of weirdness with the shader causes those to turn white-ish when seen from afar. It isn’t big enough to be disturbing from the flight deck, but you’ll notice it if you squint.
The terminal buildings are mostly quite beautiful, with the new international terminal mixing modern elements with traditional Balinese architecture. It gives the whole airport a very striking and unique look.