A U.K. company has created a virtual version of the Squamish Municipal Airport- Don Patrick Field.
Burning Blue Design creates high-fidelity airports for Microsoft Flight Simulator and recently released a version of the Squamish airport.
This was the first Canadian airport they created.
The company has around 30 airports in their catalogue; they try to add a new one every month or two, including the recent addition of Squamish’s airport, according to a spokesperson for Burning Blue Design.
Why Squamish?
Adam Hawkins, one of the two designers and builders of virtual airports at Burning Blue Design, said a visit to his wife's sister in Vancouver’s Oakridge community in May was the impetus for the creation of the Squamish airport simulation.
“I have been dying to create a Canadian airport for a long time now, and this trip gave me the opportunity,” Hawkins said in an email to The Squamish Chief.
“Squamish was the obvious choice, given its wonderful location midway between Vancouver and Whistler. Prior to the trip, [my] wife's parents have always spoken about how stunning the scenery is along the Sea to Sky Highway, so I made some time to come and visit the airport, soak in the general atmosphere and take an awful lot of reference pictures.”
While Squamish is the first Canadian airport the company has created, Hawkins said they hope to create more in the future.
While in B.C., he also travelled to visit the seaplane base at Whistler and a few airports in the Okanagan.
The target market is anyone who enjoys backcountry flying in Microsoft Flight Simulator, he said.
“Basically, [it’s for] virtual pilots who love the challenge of landing in remote areas, testing their skills against adverse weather caused by mountain flying. Many real-world pilots use our software, and we often use them as testers for our airports to ensure accuracy. They really do hold us to account and ensure we deliver the highest level of realism,” said Hawkins.
Burning Blue Design has a few more airports lined up to create, all of which are in the U.K. They will be releasing North Weald and Fowlmere airports in the coming few months.
“Each airport takes a couple of months to create; there are often hundreds of 3D models to create, some of which can take as little as 15 minutes, others whole days to finish and import into the simulator,” said Hawkins.
To learn more about the Squamish version of the flight simulator, or to purchase it, go to the Burning Blue Design website.
Hawkins said the team at Burning Blue Design welcome any feedback from those who purchase the flight simulator, especially from anyone who knows the airport personally.
The company has an active Discord forum for feedback here: discord.gg/E3JKbtDY2v
