SkyDesigners has recently released their rendition of the Cambrai-Épinoy Air Base (LFQI) for Microsoft Flight Simulator, a deactivated air base near Cambrai in France.

Created by the Germans during WW1, it was taken by the French air force right after the war, becoming “Air Base 103” (around 1936). It was once again occupied by the Germans during WW2, between 1940 and 1944, stationing several Luftwaffe units. The British took over briefly during the liberation of France, and it was handed back to the French in 1945.

It was renamed in 1959 after Commander René Mouchotte, who died fighting for France in 1944.

The air base was officially closed in 2013, after many years of history and two world wars, bolstering over 1,500 personnel during its glory days. 

In April 2017, the site was purchased. It will undergo a conversion process to become the largest e-Commerce warehouse in Europe, with 700,000 square meters of built area, costing around 300 million euros to make, and potentially generating 1,300 jobs, heavily benefitting the region: the unemployment rate at Cambrai sits at 24% (as of 2017). 

The scenery features an accurate rendition of the air base as it was before its conversion into a warehouse, with multiple static aircraft (Mirage 2000C, 2000Bs, with their real numbers and registrations), maintenance zones and hangars as of 2010, specific service vehicles and ground crew, photorealistic buildings, accurate modeling of military installations and their squadrons, hundreds of custom objects, MIAC charts for the corresponding period, and performance-friendly optimization.

It’s available on SimMarket for roughly $16.12, requiring at least 766.13 MB of free hard disk space to install.

Stay tuned to Threshold for more flight simulation news!

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