Taking to the FSDeveloper forums, newcomer Pyramid8 Studios has announced the development of Sydney Seaplane Base for MSFS, bringing a new destination to the sim that allows users to try their hands at seaplane operations.
Sydney Seaplane Base, also known as Rose Bay Water Airport (YRAY), is a water airport located in the Sydney suburb of Rose Bay. It is located eight kilometers from the city center and is one of two water airports, the other being Palm Beach Water Airport. The airport was originally opened in August 1938, and served as the official starting point of Qantas Empire Airways and Imperial Airways flying boat services between Sydney and London. Following the advent of jet engines and the introduction of concrete runways, flying boat services gradually subsided, with the final commercial service in the form of Ansett Airways flying boat services to Lord Howe Island having come to an end in 1974.
Today, the seaplane airport serves as primary base of operation for Sydney Seaplanes, a domestic and charter carrier that operates de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Cessna 208 Caravan aircrafts. The airline is known for offering flights to other seaplane bases nearby, including for example Palm Beach, Whale Beach and Cottage Point, and is frequently used by celebrities such as The Grand Tour presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson, among others.
Pyramid8 Studios has announced the development of this history rich water airport for MSFS users to discover. Since having started in June 2023, the development has come along quite far, and, as far as one can judge, seems to be wrapping up quite nicely. The developer has recreated many custom buildings, including the famously known “Empire Lounge”, and seems to have used high resolution textures to give the scenery a vibrant and realistic feel.
Additionally, a custom 3D terminal interior, featuing night lighting, has also been included, further contributing to the realistic feel of the scenery. Finally, based on the forum thread, the developer is still adding custom, region-appropriate vegetation to the scenery, and is also finalising the ground work using terraforming to get a decent blend of the scenery with the surrounding area.
While no release date has been announced, based on the current state of the scenery, such a date should not be too far off in the future. A price has yet to be disclosed as well.
We will endeavor to keep you posted for any further developments regarding this exciting project. In the mean time, feel free to head over to the FSDeveloper forum thread where you can obtain more information on Pyramid8 Studio’s development efforts.
