Saint-Barthélemy Airport (TFFJ) is one of those places every simmer has probably tried at least once. A short strip of asphalt squeezed between a steep hill and a Caribbean beach, with a road right under the approach path… it’s basically an aviation rite of passage in Microsoft Flight Simulator.
TFFJ already comes as a handcrafted version built by the Microsoft/Asobo team, and it’s already pretty solid. But SLHSimDesign thinks it can do better, and their brand-new release for both MSFS 2020 and 2024 aims to give Saint Barths a serious upgrade.
According to SLHSimDesign, their scenery goes deeper into the details of the island and the airport environment:
- People who react to you — animated characters will duck, wave, or even film your landing. Their presence changes depending on the time of day.
- Traffic that matters — the famous road over the hill isn’t just scenery. Animated cars and pedestrians add another layer of realism (and another thing to watch out for on final).
- Expanded interiors — both the terminal and tower are fully modeled, right down to a working elevator. There’s also a modeled hangar interior.
- Island life — from animated jetskis and speedboats offshore to beachgoers at the threshold of Runway 28, Eden Rock, Gustavia Bay, and nearby shopping centers, the wider environment has been given attention too.
- Visual polish — 3D custom modeling, 4K PBR textures, corrected terrain elevations, custom taxiway signs, and a GSX profile for ground services.
The developers also claim the scenery is performance-optimized, running more efficiently than the handcrafted default.
St Barths is a benchmark for piloting skills in MSFS. The runway is only 646 meters long, the approach over the Col de la Tourmente is steep and unforgiving, and departures launch you directly over turquoise waters. It’s awesome!
Priced at £14.00 GBP through the iniBuilds store, this package completely replaces the default rendition. The developers explicitly recommend disabling the Asobo version before use.
