No Money Mondays: Le Touquet - Elizabeth II International Airport by Vbazillio

September 2, 2024
Freeflight

Le Touquet-Paris-Plage Airport, located in northern France, has a rich history dating back to the early 20th century. Established in the 1930s, it initially served as a key hub for cross-Channel flights, connecting France and the United Kingdom. The airport played a vital role during World War II, being used by both Allied and Axis forces at different times. After the war, it resumed its function as a civilian airport, becoming popular among British tourists visiting the French coast. Over the decades, it has seen various upgrades and remains a charming gateway to the picturesque region. This year the airfield was given a new name. Having briefly been named after Queen Elizabeth II in the 1980s, the name returned this year in honour of her. 

The main usage of the airport in more recent years has been for international travel around Europe. Serving as a gateway with French Customs, the airport is allowing people to land, clear customs and travel further; This is helped with a handy refuel station onsite. In addition, it is a very popular airport when completing Instrument Rating flight training. Its close distance to the UK makes it a popular airport used during IR examinations, allowing students to practise skills in European Airspace. Finally, it also serves as an aircraft base, with 4 hangers located to the south of the airfield as well as some parking places to the west.

Some interesting features of the scenery include custom buildings and textures, transporting the real design and structure of the airport into the simulator. The addition of custom terraforming mesh around the airfield helps blend it into the scenery, creating a seamless finish. However, arguably the most impressive feature has to do with the tides in the La Canche River. The developer has been able to utilise tides in MSFS allowing for realistic movements in the levels of water around the airport. This can also be seen at Le Touquet Beach located to the north of the airfield.

The freeware scenery is available from Flightsim.to, allowing users to escape to the north coast of France, practise their instrument flying or grab a bite to eat!

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