An airport in the middle of the Sahara? Aguenar Airport is out now for MSFS
By now you’ve probably realized that we often feature some less-known projects from independent developers out there, who try to make something a little bit different but interesting for Microsoft Flight Simulator. Today we’re bringing to your attention a brand new airport from a new developer in the scene, who invites us to fly deep into the mighty Sahara desert and discover a remote airport in southern Algeria: DAAT Aguenar/Tamanrasset Airport!
Microsoft Flight Simulator is truly capable of rendering our world with amazing sights, from the towering snowy mountains in the Alps to the urban landscapes in America or the pristine coastal waters in the Caribbean. The technology that powers MSFS uses realistic satellite imagery to recreate the world below and is capable of doing so pretty much all across our planet, including the most remote regions and their undiscovered beauty, such as the Sahara desert!
If exploring these faraway destinations is something that catches your interest, then Aguenar Airport, released this week for MSFS by NetDesign, may just be the perfect airport to consider as your next purchase. This airport is located in southern Algeria, deep inside the Sahara, and offers pilots the chance to explore the unique landscapes available for hundreds of kilometers around the site. It’s also conveniently located somewhat halfway between Africa’s northern coast and the countries around the Gulf of Guinea, serving as a useful stopover along the way.
Aguenar Airport is also a military base where the Algerian Air Force operates multiple fighter jets, transport helicopters, and reconnaissance aircraft, which are important to support the ground forces in the region. Due to its location, this airport has also been used by North America’s military operations and was also an alternative airport for NASA’s Space Shuttle!
With all this interesting background, Aguenar Airport is now available in great for MSFS. It’s not often that we see a payware airport around these premises, which may be a bit risky for the developer but is undeniably cool.
NetDesign recreated Aguenar Airport with the help of existing photos and satellite imagery. The Algerian military base nearby was also extensively developed, including some static Air Force aircraft for added realism. The developer also took care to add numerous secondary objects to the scenery, such as fencing around the airport, improved roads, nearby POIs, and more.
DAAT Aguenar/Tamanrasset Airport is one of the most interesting new airport releases this week for MSFS and marks a great debut for the developer. It’s available now at Simmarket, priced at just €11.99 + tax.
Features:
- 4K PBR textures in multiple layers
- Parallax windows based on real interior photos
- Many details gleaned from tourist photographs
- Reconstruction of the adjacent military base created using satellite imagery
- Accurate Algerian Air Force Su-30MKA and Mi-8’s on the tarmac featuring markings from real aircraft
- SKTM solar power plant, which can cause glare for planes on runway 8 approach during sunset
- Tin Hinan Tomb POI not far to the west for sightseeing
- ILS 8 (109.7) and ILS 20 (108.5) are functional
- Runway 20 was tilted slightly to mitigate the misaligned default ILS 20 in order to preserve all navaids that came with the default airport
- Redone aprons and markings matching recent satellite images
- Redone taxiway system and airport/street night lighting
