Katama Airpark is a laidback airfield and wonderful snapshot from a time past when aviation was all about barn storming and pleasure flights in bi-planes. Katama sprawls along on the Southern coast of the island of Martha’s Vineyard and has a steeped history, boasting both being the largest grass airfield in the United States, and one of the oldest, having been established in 1924.
Throughout its life Katama has been run by different organisations such as The Curtis Wright Corporation, Martha’s Vineyard Flying Club, The Civil Air Patrol, as well as numerous private owners. During World War II, Katama served as a training facility and gunnery range for new pilots pilots. Following World War II, Katama airport was aquired from the airforce and run as a private airfield until the 1980s when it was purchased with state conservation funds.
Katama Airpark is very unique as it sits on the Katama Plains, a miniature prairie within the airfield boundary which sustains many rare and endangered species of birds, butterflies and plants such as the short-eared owl, the regal fritillary butterfly, and the Nantucket shadbush.
Today Katama is still very active and sees numerous daily pleasure flights, it also serves as a hub for the local community.
Katama Airpark has been recreated faithfully over many hundreds of hours by Burning Blue Design with the aid of numerous on-site visits, and features:
- There are tens of thousands of carefully placed assets, every fence, picnic table and tree, along with an assortment of visitors and staff, has been placed in the correct location ensuring an atmosphere of a working airfield.
- High resolution colour corrected ground textures taken from Bing maps and manipulated for consistency and realism which far surpasses the quality of the stock Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 ground texture.
- Based on 2022 layout with accurate runway markings, taxiways and a working custom Windsock.
- Highly detailed restaurant and hangar interiors and animated hangar doors which close and open between dawn and dusk.
- Correct AI pattern procedures and accurate taxiway and runway placement have been incorporated into the release.
- Full night lighting has been placed across the airfield and within and around the hangars and buildings.
Actual aircraft from the aerodrome the have been included:
- Waco UPF-7 biplane – Registration: N20979.
- Waco UPF-7 biplane – Registration: NC32183.
