Hello Captains and welcome back. I recently received an email from an individual who asked a very valid question and one that I’m going to weigh in and provide my thoughts, opinions and answer. Let’s dive right in.
Hello Jerry, I recently stumbled across your blog and have been avidly reading your posts. I’m completely new to flight sims having recently purchased Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. While I’ve been a PC gamer for many years, I’ve only now become interested in flight sims and I must say I’m absolutely loving it. With the help of YouTube, I’ve taught myself to fly the Fenix A320 and very much looking forward to the PMDG 737. My question to you is perhaps a simple one, so please excuse the naivety in asking a question about payware airports. I’m curious as to why a 3rd party developer spends their time to create a rendition of an airport that has already been done by Asobo as a hand-crafted airport? Isn’t this a wasted effort? For example, I live in the San Francisco Bay area and generally fly out of either SFO, OAK and sometimes out of SJC. So I’ve been looking at picking up payware version of OAK and SJC, but also happen to notice there is a payware version of SFO. Additionally, in my research I’ve also discovered the same applies for many other airports such as LAX, DFW, ATL etc. Also, why would an airport such as LAS have multiple payware versions available? It just seems like such a duplication of effort when I’m sure there are other major airports which are overlooked. Thank you for all your efforts with the blog, your tips have helped me. Looking forward to hearing from you. Robert
Robert asked some great questions, and I truly appreciate him taking the time to reach out. When I first heard Microsoft and Asobo planned to include hand-crafted airports in MSFS 2020, I was genuinely excited. As someone who’s spent a fair share over the years on add-ons, the expectation was that these airports would be near-perfect replicas—good enough to rival top-tier third-party offerings and perhaps eliminate the need to buy extras altogether. After all, if anyone could pull off that level of detail, surely Microsoft and Asobo could. Right?
To be fair, some of their hand-crafted airports were decent. And considering we’ve never had custom airports included in the default sim, it was a promising step forward. But the reality didn’t always live up to the hype. In several cases, including DEN and SFO, the initial releases felt dated and underwhelming.
Now take FlightBeam—one of my all-time favorite third-party developers. Their renditions of DEN and SFO are stunning. These airports go far beyond what Microsoft/Asobo delivered and truly feel like works of art. Comparing them side-by-side, FlightBeam’s creations shine with realism and polish.
Ultimately, choosing to buy a third-party airport add-on comes down to personal preference. For some simmers, accuracy matters—whether it’s intricate taxiway layouts or environmental details that blur the line between simulation and reality. Personally, I don’t get that level of immersion from the default or hand-crafted versions alone.
So why would a third-party developer recreate an airport already available in the sim? Community demand. Developers like FlightBeam know their audience and can stand behind their products with long-term support and updates. For me, investing in their versions was an easy decision—they’re a joy to fly in and out of.
That said, not every third-party release automatically beats what’s already included. Take DFW, for example—a long-time favorite of mine. ImagineSim recently released their version, but based on screenshots, feedback, and price, I haven’t felt compelled to upgrade. Maybe that’ll change if they issue a major update.
To sum it all up: buying payware airports—whether to replace an Asobo hand-crafted or plain default—is completely personal. My own rule of thumb is simple: I base the decision on how often I fly there. Sales help, too.
Hope this helps shed light on the “why” behind third-party development. Thanks again for reading.
Until next time…
✈️ Happy Flying!
—Jerry