Cushman Meadows (KCMW)
Imagine Your Ideal Airport
We’ve all done it, sat around shooting the bull about what we’d do if we won the lottery—this is the airport version of that game.
This time around, I decided to let my imagination take wing, and to design the airport of my dreams. As a Pacific Northwesterner, I knew right where it had to be – smack dab in the middle of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. This is a wild location, studded with towering snow-capped mountains, swaths of rain forest, and crystal clear lakes.
I found the perfect site on the shores of Lake Cushman. The airport was cut out of a stand of forest adjacent to a finger-shaped inlet. For the land runway, a modest but serviceable asphalt runway was paved, and an eclectic collection of hangars, covered parking, a clubhouse, cafe, and a small flight school sprang up beside it. Some locals with more enthusiasm than funds even hauled in some shipping containers and built their own “control tower”. The inlet provided a great protected spot for a water runway, and next thing you know a floatplane repair facility and refueling dock appeared. An enterprising hotelier even bought a parcel of lakeside land nearby and began renting cabins and RV hookups.
This, I thought, was the airport I’d love to be based at for my PNW adventures. I liked it so much that I found myself wanting to clear off a spot of land just for myself—close enough to drop in on KCMW whenever I wanted, but a little more off the grid. That little slice of heaven turned out to be a few acres at the northwestern end of the lake, a few acres of filbert orchard with a barn for a couple of horses, a cozy house with great views, and a deck for partying during the warm months. There was even a makeshift structure that ended up being ideal for parking my bird. Seriously, what more could a plane nut ask for? I call it Bear Gulch, and if it sounds like a good spot to you, head on up the lake and check it out.
Most of all, just enjoy the scenery. These airports were custom-made just for a certain kind of GA pilot. If you’re reading this, you’re might be one of us.
I just want to say that this scenery is fantastic!!!!! After a short walkaround and a quick flight, I have to say “AMEN”!!!!!!! The fps are just amazing, the Cafe Latte in the bar is cheap, just $2.50. You have outdone yourself again, where will this end!!!! The people flow just adds so much life into the scenery.
- Jack J. Jackson, ORBX forums
WOW!! What an amazing piece of scenery. The detail is astounding and the people flow just adds to the sense of realism. Makes you feel like you could really be there. There’s something for everyone, asphalt for the bigger aircraft, a seaplane base, and a little dirt strip. Definitely one of my new favorite destinations.
- Edwin V., Flightsimstore.com Reviews
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http://vimeo.com/22840129
A hair-raising thunderstorm flight between Bear Gulch and Cushman Meadows, by Andreas Paschen (Varioflight)
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
That video made me instantly think two things… Where’s my credit card; and I think Capt. Sully had a better landing in the Hudson.
BUT…..
joking aside, your flight, or more like ‘fight,’ [through the elements,] has convinced me to purchase this package without delay. The scenery is so fantastic and like everything else released from the Orbx/Womack Sim-Lords, it beats out the previous project with a confident momentum in scenery design and efficiency. I can’t help but think Microsoft is just gonna have to throw in the towel once they recognize the weight of our anchors sunk into a simulation product we know and trust. This stuff is leaps and bounds beyond any screen shot or teaser video i’ve seen for “Flight” and while MS is lucky if they impress us with something new, you guys hand can’t launch anything that doesn’t have an immediate radar-lock on the pulse of today’s true flight sim enthusiast. Mad Props guys.
Who is the developer for the Diamond DA20 you were flying?
I didn’t make that video, although I wish I did. He used Aerosoft’s Katana 4X as his ride. It’s a fantastic little plane, with some really cool and innovative features. I highly recommend it.