ʻUpolu Airport sits near the northernmost tip of Hawaiʻi's Big Island, on the rugged Kohala coast — one of the oldest and most historically rich parts of the island. The airstrip has roots going back to the 1930s, when the US military developed it as part of its broader Pacific infrastructure. Today, it remains publicly accessible and sees occasional general aviation traffic alongside operations by Big Island Gravity Skydiving, which uses the field as a base for tandem and solo skydiving jumps. With a 3,800-foot runway, no control tower, no hangars, and minimal services, it's exactly the kind of remote, character-filled strip that rewards a detour in a light aircraft. Community Developer Nandengo12 has recently crafted a new freeware scenery package for the airfield compatible with both Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
The add-on brings a meaningful level of hand-crafted detail to what is, in the default simulator, a fairly bare-bones representation. Custom 3D models have been created for the service buildings, entrance gate, main airport sign, and light poles. The skydiving operation has been given its own presence through a custom model of the container used by Big Island Gravity Skydiving, complete with a grass landing pad for returning jumpers. Supporting details — fencing, railings, utility poles, stone walls, a weather station, a segmented circle, and various signage — have all been placed to reflect the real-world layout. A small number of parked vehicles and skydiving-related props add a lived-in quality to the apron area without overcrowding the scenery.
On the operational side, the default runway has been replaced to correct an error in the simulator's data — MSFS incorrectly placed a VASI at ʻUpolu, when in reality runway 7/25 has only basic edge lighting. Two parking positions have been added, one at the main apron and one at the southern tie-down area. Taxiway signs and lights have been placed in their real-world positions, and the Kohala coast's reliably pleasant weather makes the airport a natural fit for sunny VFR flying.
Separate versions have been compiled for MSFS 2020 and MSFS 2024 to account for differences in elevation handling and available vegetation objects between the two platforms. The developer is transparent about a handful of known limitations: night lighting has not been added to buildings or poles, making this a day VFR scenery in practice. Some vegetation anomalies persist in the MSFS 2024 version, including an errant palm tree on the apron and additional trees near the skydiving containers, which proved resistant to standard override techniques. Both versions also rely on a small number of Microsoft scenery dependencies — specifically KCGX for the green fencing and PHKO for certain palm tree objects in the MSFS 2020 version. Additionally, some ramp objects require the free UK2000 Common Library, available from the UK2000 website.
If you enjoy exploring the smaller, less-visited corners of the Hawaiian archipelago in a light GA aircraft, ʻUpolu is well worth adding to your scenery library. The coastal setting, the cross-channel views, and the quiet character of the airstrip make for a genuinely rewarding flight, and Nandengo12's attention to hand-crafted detail elevates it considerably beyond the default. As this is a freeware release, if you find the scenery adds value to your flying, please consider making a donation to the creator to support continued work on add-ons like this one. You can find the add-on at 👉 PHUP ʻUpolu Airport, Hawaiʻi, USA — Flightsim.to.