#1Major Robert J. Stewart, Jr. on Mar 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
HI!!!
Just downloaded and will soon install your Area 51, etal. I’ve been a FSimmer forever (since the first PC edition). I’ve been a model rail and rail fan for about 55 of my 60 years.
I’ll get onto the installation and compare to other Area 51s I have.
Greetings. Thank You so much for creating this scenery. I do realize that you created AFCADs for other airports and it’s our choice to use them, however, is there an AFCAD for KXTA(Groom Lake)? I didn’t see one after I installed it.
Fantastic rendition mate, well done!
I have been to tikaboo peak on a few “recce” missions and this is the perfect way to peak over the hill at the base that does not exist! THANK YOU!!
Thanks for the Concorde redux, but especially for the Groom Lake/Area 51 scenery (which incidentally is better than the payware scenery currently available). I used to live near Mono Lake and the Benton area, which was basically a hop-skip-jump from Area 51 as the crow flies, or should I say, Aurora!
My best friend Dave, who is honest to a fault, and who lived for many years near Benton, told me about the time IT flew over (1986). He said it sounded more like a steam locomotive than an airplane, and was deafeningly loud as it flew really low over his (remote) house! He was an avid plane spotter (we had both already seen F-117s flitting moth-like, at extreme low level, around the hills surrounding the Lake, and the YF-22 also), and he knew the difference. This was no Nighthawk, or Have Blue: it was, he plainly told me, narrow, like a stretched arrowhead, “like a paper airplane”, and black in color. We also saw a lot of ‘doughnuts-on-a-rope’ (high-altitude) contrails at that time.
We also saw a brilliant ruby-red UFO (1988) from Dave’s car at about Midnight, in mid-summer (at the junction of Hwy 395 and the Benton road). We actually drove after it, like a couple of idiots. The UFO seemed to know we were following, and moved slowly, just ahead of us, matching our speed for at least 15 minutes (it was at approx. 2000 ft. altitude). Then it stopped, and so did we, getting out of the car for a better look. What an excellent sight–after hanging motionless for about five minutes, it suddenly picked up speed again, moving in a vector directly away from us, and within a few seconds it was gone, headed east, “towards Area 51″, said Dave. “All RIGHT!!”, said I.
Hi Ted,
The elevation on the scenery addon is set at 4530′ whereas the elevation with other versions of FS (and Groom Lake for that matter) is set at 4462′. This discrepancy causes some interesting landing scenarios when flying with other FS users. Is there a way of correcting this? Otherwise the renderings are beautiful
First, I’m glad you like the scenery and that you are enjoying my rendition of Groom Lake.
I’m guessing you are flying in Multiplayer (online, or Lan) and that other’s do NOT have the scenery installed? That would be a problem. Given that MS isn’t all that accurate about elevations I took some altitude based on the local terrain in FS and used that.
I applied a “Flatten” which shaves off hill and fills in holes around the airport to an height of 4530′, make it lower or higher and the edges of the airport become down in a hole or up on a hill.
Bottom line is that for successful online flying, all participants must have the same scenery installed.
Thanks for the update. I guess I’ll have to make do with the elevation given. And, yes, I’ve noticed elevation discrepancies in other areas between my FS2004 and FSX when I am flying online, although not to the degree of Groom Lake. It’s still a kick flying there.
Wayne S.
on Mar 2nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
HI!!!
Just downloaded and will soon install your Area 51, etal. I’ve been a FSimmer forever (since the first PC edition). I’ve been a model rail and rail fan for about 55 of my 60 years.
I’ll get onto the installation and compare to other Area 51s I have.
Just a quick HI and Thanx!!!
Stew
on Aug 4th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Greetings. Thank You so much for creating this scenery. I do realize that you created AFCADs for other airports and it’s our choice to use them, however, is there an AFCAD for KXTA(Groom Lake)? I didn’t see one after I installed it.
Thanks.
on Aug 4th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
There is an AFCAD, but it was hand coded and editing it in AFCAD will erase the approaches and waypoints around the KXTA.
on Feb 1st, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Fantastic rendition mate, well done!
I have been to tikaboo peak on a few “recce” missions and this is the perfect way to peak over the hill at the base that does not exist! THANK YOU!!
on Mar 18th, 2009 at 5:21 am
Greetings, Ted:
Thanks for the Concorde redux, but especially for the Groom Lake/Area 51 scenery (which incidentally is better than the payware scenery currently available). I used to live near Mono Lake and the Benton area, which was basically a hop-skip-jump from Area 51 as the crow flies, or should I say, Aurora!
My best friend Dave, who is honest to a fault, and who lived for many years near Benton, told me about the time IT flew over (1986). He said it sounded more like a steam locomotive than an airplane, and was deafeningly loud as it flew really low over his (remote) house! He was an avid plane spotter (we had both already seen F-117s flitting moth-like, at extreme low level, around the hills surrounding the Lake, and the YF-22 also), and he knew the difference. This was no Nighthawk, or Have Blue: it was, he plainly told me, narrow, like a stretched arrowhead, “like a paper airplane”, and black in color. We also saw a lot of ‘doughnuts-on-a-rope’ (high-altitude) contrails at that time.
We also saw a brilliant ruby-red UFO (1988) from Dave’s car at about Midnight, in mid-summer (at the junction of Hwy 395 and the Benton road). We actually drove after it, like a couple of idiots. The UFO seemed to know we were following, and moved slowly, just ahead of us, matching our speed for at least 15 minutes (it was at approx. 2000 ft. altitude). Then it stopped, and so did we, getting out of the car for a better look. What an excellent sight–after hanging motionless for about five minutes, it suddenly picked up speed again, moving in a vector directly away from us, and within a few seconds it was gone, headed east, “towards Area 51″, said Dave. “All RIGHT!!”, said I.
on Aug 15th, 2009 at 1:43 am
Hi Ted,
The elevation on the scenery addon is set at 4530′ whereas the elevation with other versions of FS (and Groom Lake for that matter) is set at 4462′. This discrepancy causes some interesting landing scenarios when flying with other FS users. Is there a way of correcting this? Otherwise the renderings are beautiful
on Aug 15th, 2009 at 2:29 am
First, I’m glad you like the scenery and that you are enjoying my rendition of Groom Lake.
I’m guessing you are flying in Multiplayer (online, or Lan) and that other’s do NOT have the scenery installed? That would be a problem. Given that MS isn’t all that accurate about elevations I took some altitude based on the local terrain in FS and used that.
I applied a “Flatten” which shaves off hill and fills in holes around the airport to an height of 4530′, make it lower or higher and the edges of the airport become down in a hole or up on a hill.
Bottom line is that for successful online flying, all participants must have the same scenery installed.
on Aug 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Thanks for the update. I guess I’ll have to make do with the elevation given. And, yes, I’ve noticed elevation discrepancies in other areas between my FS2004 and FSX when I am flying online, although not to the degree of Groom Lake. It’s still a kick flying there.
Wayne S.
on Oct 15th, 2009 at 2:36 am
You ROCKZ dude…!!