So I have a problem, I am apparently incapable of growing an airport. It’s not that I don’t know how, at almost 150 hours logged I feel like I have a fairly good grasp of how the game works. The problem is that I’ll grow an airport from nothing to just about the point of adding medium gates… and then I’ll wonder if a different starting design might be a better option and I start completely over. What’s more frustrating is that for months now my all time favorite commercial jet has been in the game but has yet to grace my airport with its presence, the MD-11.
So here’s what we’re going to do, this forum is going to keep me honest. I’m going to start a project journal of semi-periodic updates with end goal of having an MD-11 successfully arrive and depart from The Reef (ORC).
I am also setting a few rules that I must abide by:
- No sandbox mode, the airport must grow naturally
- Realism has to be applied where applicable (Spacing between taxiways/runways, no full automation, that sort of stuff)
- No Min-Maxing, I’m not trying to set any records and will error on the side of what looks right vs what’s most efficient
- No instant construction
- Decorations and aesthetic stuff is a must
- Absolutely no starting over. If I want to change something then I have to tear it down and rebuild.
So! Keeping that in mind here is what I’m starting with:
I started on easy mode because why make things harder than they need to be and picked the location of the Florida Keys due to do their proximity to all the Caribbean nations. I also turned on the “Realistic International Flight” setting to best utilize that location. More on my plans for that later.
For the GA area I’ve very loosely based it on the Signature FBO at HSV that I frequent for work. Eventually GA will have its own designated runway above the area but in the meantime it needs to share with Commercial. The towers and radar are in temp locations for the moment. I just wanted something for now to get up and running.
I didn’t base the first terminal off of any pre-existing design but due to its similar round shape to Concourse E of my home airport (MKE), it shall now be known as Terminal E. Based on previous experiences I’ve found that 12 small gates is a good base to start with and grow money from. I also wanted to utilize side walk as much as I could as to prevent the terminal from being huge. The pickup/dropoff is also only temporary. It’ll depend a little on how the other terminals are laid out but a multi-floor set up is probably the best option. Speaking of multifoor!
For better passenger flow I opted for an "in from the top, out from the bottom strategy. Eventually bathrooms, baggage claim, staff room, and a staff security checkpoint will be down there as well. Also note the customs desk! Like I said before, one of the nice things about being in the Key’s is being close to all the island nations in the Caribbean. Given a lot of those islands are serviced by puddle jumpers IRL, it seemed appropriate to set some of the 12 stands to be international. People of Havana rejoice!
So that’s where we’re starting! Next steps are going to be add in the other small aircraft turnaround services, implement the international aspect, and double down on decorations and styling. Should be a fun journey!