Aerosoft has announced the release of their breathtaking Lukla Airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator developed by LimeSim, which is a newly developed version of “Lukla – Mount Everest Extreme”, on their Facebook page. The latest version of the airport rendition has been highly anticipated in the flight sim community and includes more animations, higher-quality textures, interiors, realistic night lighting, and much more.
About The Airport
Lukla Airport got the name “Tenzing-Hillary Airport” in 2008. This was to honor Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Sherpa. The airport started operations in September of 1971 as a very small, yet busy airport. It is one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to its location and short runway. The airport sits on a mountainside 9,000ft high with a 1,729ft runway.
Unpredictable weather conditions make flying here quite hard, resulting in frequent cancellations. The weather can deteriorate in minutes with clouds making visibility extremely low. A lack of advanced radar and air navigation systems also makes controlling here extremely difficult.
The airport has a short runway sloped up the mountain so only smaller general aviation aircraft can land here safely. Right at the end of the runway, there is a huge mountainous wall with a steep drop down into a valley below. Landing and take-offs are extremely difficult here but it can be an exhilarating and scenic experience for skilled pilots.
Features of Aerosoft’s Lukla Airport
The add-on is just the first in a new series of sceneries for MSFS focused around the Mount Everest region. The gateway to Mount Everest, also known as the world’s most dangerous airport, is known by many aviation enthusiasts. It is home to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters with a very limited runway.
This newer version is a detailed recreation of the airport with high-resolution textures. According to the developer, this package supersedes the old “Lukla – Mount Everest Extreme” by the same developer. The airport has many animated people, animals, and a ground service ATV.
The airport comes with a complete 3D terrain model alongside night lighting, realistic to its real-life counterpart to improve the night life of the airport. Various sounds you would typically hear at a small airport like this one have been implemented. This adds to the overall atmosphere of the daily operations.
In honor of Tenzing and Hillary, a statue has been modelled off the side of the runway. Gardens have also been added alongside the runway. A recent terminal extension and a new helipad have both been modelled. The interiors of the terminal extension have also been modelled to add more life inside the small terminal.
The addon also includes a detailed manual to help you get started with the addon and includes some information about the airport itself. The installation of this add-on can be performed via the Aerosoft One proprietary launcher which needs an account created on the website. Lukla Airport by Aerosoft and LimeSim is now available for €10.03 through their website. For more flight-sim-related news, announcements, updates, releases and more, do check out our other articles on FSNews.
