For virtual airline pilots, Atlanta offers plenty of reasons to build a busy schedule. As Delta Air Lines’ largest hub and one of the world’s busiest airports, it is a destination where the taxi briefing deserves as much attention as the approach.
Five Runways and an Updated Layout
The scenery incorporates the expanded Concourse T alongside terminal buildings, hangars, and surrounding airport facilities. Terrain created from real-world elevation data reproduces Atlanta’s distinctive sloped runway profiles.
Custom ground materials add surface markings, cracks, dirt, and wear across runways, taxiways, and aprons. Three-dimensional taxiway signs, taxiway lighting, and dynamic airport lighting help complete the ground environment.
That detail should give pilots plenty to take in between touchdown and the gate—provided they keep following the taxi instructions. “We’re admiring the scenery” remains a questionable explanation for missing a turn.
Detail Beyond the Flight Deck
Modeled interiors extend into terminal buildings, fixed-base operator facilities, and hotels. Outside, custom baggage carts, tugs, buses, and other service vehicles populate the airport.
The surrounding scenery reaches approximately five miles beyond the field, incorporating buildings and vegetation to provide context during arrival and departure. Custom animated grass comes from xCodr Designs.
A level-of-detail system manages building complexity as viewing distance changes, forming part of the scenery’s approach to rendering such a large airport.
Free Plugins Support Airport Animations
The X-Plane 12 edition uses openSAM for animated jetways, including airport and airline branding. It also integrates xCodr Designs’ Living Scenery Technology plugin for scenery animations. Both plugins are available as free downloads.
Pilots should review the installation instructions to ensure those supporting components are ready before their first visit.
For more X-Plane coverage, explore our stories on HarExperience’s Edinburgh Airport and DeltaWing’s ATR 72-600.
Available Now Through Orbx Direct
KATL for X-Plane 12 is available exclusively through Orbx Direct. Visit the official product page for purchasing information, requirements, and installation details, or watch the official release trailer for a closer look.
