Aerosoft just released Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport (CYQM) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, developed by Stairport Sceneries.
As the busiest airport in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, CYQM offers a great mix of activities for flight simulation enthusiasts.
It hosts airliner traffic, a lot of cargo hauling. and one of the most well-known flight schools in the country for general aviation, the Moncton Flight College.
Available on Aerosoft’s own store for about €18 including VAT, it comes with its own installer as is the publisher’s standard, which means that installation is relatively painless. The package even includes a complement of relevant charts.
If you’d like to see what the airport looks like in detail in Microsoft Flight Simulator, you can check out the in-depth flyover video below, showing the airfield from every angle, every weather condition, and at night.
On the other hand, the second video below showcases an ILS approach to runway 29.
The orthographic map that serves as the base for the airport looks good and it’s perfectly blended with the surroundings, but the real stunners are the runways and the taxiways.
The developers did an awesome job with reproducing materials, weathering, and markings, and according to my research, it’s basically a pixel-perfect portrayal of the real thing. Every line, number, and chevron are pretty much exactly where they should be, which isn’t as common as one would expect in today’s Microsoft Flight Simulator scenery.
While Greater Moncton Airport doesn’t have a massive terminal, it’s surrounded but many buildings, especially considering its general aviation and cargo operations.
The 3D models are excellent, and the texture work shines thanks to the very generous and proficient use of materials that take advantage of physically-based rendering.
There are a lot of details to discover, and every building is recognizable thanks to the correct signage and colors. Only the deicing tanks and the nearby shed seem to be affected by a bug making some of their textures transparent.
The terminal itself is very pleasing to the eye and features custom jetways (even if the animation can be slightly glitchy at times, with the sleeve failing to perfectly connect to the aircraft or the wheels detaching from the ground) and modeled interior. While the interior itself is a bit on the spartan side, it certainly does its job combined with the large transparent glass front.
Things are a bit less spotless on the landside area. For some reason, 90% of the perimeter fence has not been included, and the aerial imagery used for the entrance is quite pixelated and shows a few cars “painted” on the asphalt. They could have certainly been covered by 3D models, of which there are plenty in other locations.
On the other hand, signage and decorations are well done, included the Audi and Volkswagen dealerships located near the parking area.
Speaking of decorations, the developers took a really interesting approach with the static aircraft. They change depending on when you visit the airport. At times you may find the aprons empty, while in different days you’ll spot combinations of Air Canada Express CRJ-200s, 900s, and Dash-8s, WestJet’s turboprops of the same type, and even lesser-known operators like Chrono Aviation and PAL Airlines.
On the cargo side, you may spot FedEx, UPS, and Cargojet Boeings, representing the three airlines that operate from CYQM in the real world.
There are also plenty of smaller aircraft from the Academy and a blazing red Dash-8 belonging to the Transport Canada government agency, which has a base at the airport.
The ever-changing static aircraft (which also look quite nice as far as statics go) aren’t the only rare dynamic element included in this airport. For instance, the presence of snow will cause the appearance of flags to mark the taxi lights. They’re designed to help to find your way to the runway and are a really, really nice touch.
While the airport has no STARs (it doesn’t in the real world as well), all the approaches instrumental landing aids work correctly.