The State of Washington seems to have an irresistible attraction to flightsimmers..... and add-on designers. You all know Richard Goldstein's marvelous Georender series of sceneries of course (don't you !??), culminating in the fictitious Emma Field and the VERY real Orcas Island. But many other designers have been building bits and pieces of the State for us over the years. One of the better known is Bob Bernstein who has already built two Harvey Fields in the past (For FS2000 and FS2002).

So now we present you Bob Bernstein's Harvey & Monroe. After his two freeware versions of Harvey Field for previous versions of Flight Simulator, Bob has now bundled all his previous experience and new skills into this wonderful new package. Not only do you get two airfields and associated photographic ground textures, but it ALSO includes custom made mesh, courtesy of FSGenesis, and some very special animations from 'the makers' of Emma Field ! And of course ALL the actual buildings with photorealistic textures, GA traffic made by Peter McLeland, and some 'easter eggs'.

Here is Bob's description of the field: "....Harvey Field is a wonderful bubble of activity. Along with a lot of GA activity, there is a skydiving school located just west of the main fuel area, and a ballooning company nearby. Family owned for generations, the property became an airport in the 40s. Prior to that, the land was farmed, and the barn and some farm outbuildings remain standing today. The grey house near the south end of the airport is the old homestead. The Harvey’s still own and operate the airport. Kandace is the boss, with her kids serving many critical roles. The main home appears in this scenery as still under construction. In truth it’s completed now, but my photo images are from a bit ago. This home replaced a previous structure that was destroyed by an errant Cessna.

The farm is located in the fertile valley of the Snohomish river. When flying this area in the real world, the valleys are markedly obvious, compared to the highlands. I try to capture this difference with extended phototerrain using the valley walls as a natural transition area to the default.

The evidence of the history of this land still stands. Hangars built to house the growing demand for GA parking space have surrounded the old farm’s barn and other farming out buildings. The old farmhouse also still stands, next to the more modern family dwellings near the southern runway threshold still. This house reminds us of a time in which this homestead was an outpost on the frontier....".

Harvey & Monroe was released on February 25th, 2005 .... available from simMarket !

François A. Dumas, February 24th, 2005