Newcomer scenery developer XWind Studios, best known for its New Zealand sceneries for Palmerston North (NZPM) and Dunedin (NZDN), announced via Facebook that they are venturing across the Pacific for their next scenery release and landing in the U.S. State of Illinois. The Chicago Rockford International Airport, also known as Rockford International Airport (KRFD), is a commercial airport located in Rockford, Illinois, about 68 miles (109 km) northwest of Chicago, Illinois. A major hub for UPS and Amazon, Rockford is one of the fastest-growing cargo airports in the world processing over 907,000 metric tons of cargo annually and ranking as the 14th busiest cargo airport in the U.S. This will be XWind Studios’ first U.S. airport for Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Airline service at KRFD is provided by ultra-low-cost carrier, Allegiant Airlines, and offers passenger service to several Florida destinations, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. In 2021, the airport served over 103,000 passengers. XWind Studios’ version of Rockford appears to include interior modeling for the domestic terminal and its four gates. KRFD is also home to AAR’s Rockford Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility that provides check-level, heavy maintenance visits, and modification services for a variety of narrow and wide-body aircraft.
Fans of XWind Stuidos’ New Zealand sceneries will be happy to learn that in the same Facebook post, the developer mentioned that a new version of their Dunedin (NZDN) scenery for MSFS is entering beta testing with performance improvements and updated models included.
No details about pricing or a release date for KRFD have been provided as of yet but stay tuned to FSElite as more information becomes available.
