Few landmarks in the Solent carry quite the same intrigue as No Man's Land Fort. Rising from the waters roughly 1.4 miles off the Isle of Wight coast near Portsmouth, the circular sea fort — some 200 feet in diameter — was originally constructed between 1867 and 1880 as part of the Palmerston Forts programme, following the recommendations of the 1859 Royal Commission. Built to defend the Royal Navy's anchorage at Spithead against a potential French naval threat, it never actually fired a shot in anger. In more recent times, its military past gave way to something far more colourful: a four-storey hotel, restaurant, and leisure complex complete with a helipad, spread across roughly 99,000 square feet.
The fort made headlines again in 2024 when it was sold at auction for just over £1 million to Londoner Edward Ward, who described the purchase as something of an impulse buy and has since been seeking an operator for the venue. Developer AlroCreation has brought this remarkable structure to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 as a detailed and animated scenery add-on, giving helicopter pilots a distinctive destination to aim for over the English Channel.
The add-on assigns the fort the fictitious ICAO code NMLH, positioning it at coordinates Long 50.740 / Lat -1.095. What sets this scenery apart from a simple static model is the attention paid to atmosphere. A large cast of animated characters populates the scene, giving the impression of an active hotel destination rather than an empty landmark. Static boats complete the maritime setting, and custom lighting and flags contribute further to the sense of place.
The helipad itself is modest in real life, and AlroCreation has replicated that faithfully — at just 8.75 metres in diameter, it demands precision from the pilot. The creator is clear in the documentation: if you approach carelessly or spawn without selecting the correct helipad designation (H01), you risk finding your helicopter sitting at sea level rather than on the fort's roof. A recommended approach is to depart from Portsmouth Fleetland Heliport (ICAO: EGVF) and fly out toward the fort, mirroring how the real-world route would be operated.
It's worth noting that Asobo and Microsoft have their own default representation of the fort at sea level, which also includes a helipad. AlroCreation has included an exclude file to suppress this default scenery, but the file must be placed in the folder above the scene folder — not inside it — to function correctly.
The No Man's Land Hotel scenery is available as a free download for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. If you enjoy the add-on and appreciate the considerable work that has gone into the scene, consider leaving a donation for AlroCreation through the Flightsim.to page — it goes a long way toward supporting continued development. Download the ➡️ No Man's Land Hotel scenery add-on on Flightsim.to for free.