A new freeware add-on for Microsoft Flight Simulator brings Columbia Metropolitan Airport to life with a fully handcrafted rendition of the airport. Columbia Metropolitan Airport serves as the primary commercial airport for Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, and the surrounding Midlands region. Located in Lexington County southwest of Columbia, the airport is surrounded by the city of Cayce and the towns of Springdale, Pine Ridge, and South Congaree. In addition to commercial passenger operations, Columbia Metropolitan also functions as a key regional cargo hub for UPS Airlines.
All buildings have been custom modeled, including the large UPS facility located across the street from the airport’s main office. The developer used a combination of 3D references from Google Earth, street view, and other online image sources to recreate the airport with attention to layout and structure. The pool area has been enlarged beyond what satellite imagery shows, reflecting changes in land use. Runway 11 has been set as the primary configuration, replacing Runway 29. The developer has opted not to use PBR ground textures due to visual inconsistencies, stating they appeared overly bumpy.
To use the scenery properly, several external libraries are required, including UK2000 Scenery Libraries, TSR Windy Things, and ESD Model Library. These can be freely downloaded from the Marketplace or Flightsim.to. You can download the KCAE Columbia Metropolitan Airport scenery for free on ⭐️ Flightsim.to. If you find the scenery valuable, consider supporting the developer through donations to help continue their work.