Review: FSX3D – Figari-Sud-Corse LFKF for MSFS

Review by: Rick Desjardins

Figari–Sud Corse Airport or Figari South Corsica Airport, ICAO: LFKF is an airport 3 km northwest of Figari, on the southern end of the island of Corsica which is located in the Mediterranean and is one of the 18 regions in France. It is the third largest airport on the island and opened in 1975. In 2016 the airport saw approximately 640,000 passengers and of those about 85% were domestic and the other 15% international travellers. The airport has a single asphalt runway 05/23 @8,136ft.

I had not heard about this airport or the developer till it caught my attention while perusing the Simmarket website so I was anxious to explore it.

Installation

After purchasing the product you will have access to six files that include but are not limited to the main installer, airport charts and GSX airport profile. When you run the installer you will be required to provide the product serial number, pick the version of MSFS you are running and also pick the installation location; all in all a straightforward process.

Visuals

Overall the airport integrates seamlessly into the surrounding area so from above there is no discernible demarcation as to where the boundary of this product ends and the stock MSFS ground scenery begins. I’ve included several comparison screenshots from overhead to show the difference between the stock MSFS airport and this product to illustrate that point and also to show just how much better this product looks.

Airport Grounds

For the most part the airport ground textures were very good. I felt that the hard surfaces such as the runways, taxiways and apron areas were very realistic looking with just enough wear and tear for the amount of aircraft traffic you expect to find here. Markings also appeared to be complete and correct. The grassy areas looked quite good from a pilot’s point of view while taxiing to and from the runway.  Ground textures used for the surrounding area included in the scenery were also very good.

Structures and Objects

Being a rather small airport it did not have many buildings however it does contain the typical types of buildings found at most airports; passenger terminal, control tower, fuel depot, fire hall, etc.  Also modelled were a number of buildings outside but adjacent to the airport. These included several commercial buildings such as rental car outlets and large storage facilities.

These structures consisted of high definition realistically coloured and weathered textures augmented by additional 3dimensional details and supporting objects. Scrutinizing the buildings close up you can better appreciate the hard work they put into the product. The added details such as downspouts, signage, security cameras, lighting, roof top ducting and A/C units to name just a few looked really good. You can also distinguish the different types of building and roofing materials along with the subtle ways they’ve changed due to aging and weather. The result is a very realistic depiction of the various buildings. Overall, very well done!

Bucking the current trend they did not model the interiors of the terminal or control tower however they did model the interior of what I assume is the fire hall garage as they show two of the three doors in a semi open state.

In addition to the objects added to the structures they did include many other objects you would expect to find at any airport. Light poles, various types of ground lighting, baggage carts, fuel trucks, fire trucks, a variety of personal vehicles, tropical vegetation, concrete barriers, etc.

Included in the scenery is an Air Corsica Airbus parked on the apron with the unloading ramp, stairs and ground power unit connected. As this is not a busy airport I thought it was a nice addition for those who are not using any AI traffic addon programs.

Animations

Animations were limited; they include a rotating radar and a fire truck that makes its way from the fire hall across the main apron and back.

I also liked that they include a GSX profile file for those of us who have that program installed as it adds another layer of realism to enhance the experience if you have the GSX program installed.

Night

Their night time rendition of the airport looked good; with the ground, approach and apron lighting hitting the mark I thought. When it came to how they portrayed the lighting used to illuminate the various parking areas and the roadway going to the terminal, unlike with the apron lighting, they neglected to include many of these light poles. When you look closely there are white balls of light suspended in the air with no visible fixtures. Even though I didn’t spend a lot of time in this area I felt if they went through all the trouble of modelling other aspects as good as they did they should have gone that extra step and added the light fixtures to complete this area of the scenery.

Approaches

This airport is well suited to a wide variety of aircraft and is equipped to handle ILS instrument approaches. I flew a number of the different approaches to both runways utilizing the single engine Cessna 172 and PMDG Boeing 737-600. All worked as expected based on the charts.  

Final Thoughts

I found the airport to be very good overall despite a few minor issues. They have taken this small relatively insignificant airport and given it the attention to make it an airport worth exploring. I would absolutely recommend this product.

Review by: Rick Desjardins