The Quai du Large heliport in Cannes is a small but recognizable fixture of the French Riviera, tucked into the harbour alongside yachts, breakwaters, and the everyday bustle of port life. Developer Guilb'Air has brought this location to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 with a scenery package that focuses heavily on detail and atmosphere, aiming to recreate not just the heliport pad itself but the surrounding maritime environment that gives the location its character.
Four Years in the Making
According to the developer, this project is the result of four years spent studying the site in person. Rather than working from photos or satellite imagery alone, Guilb'Air states that every element of the scenery has been placed to match the real location as closely as possible, right down to details like the safety notice board near the pad. This hands-on approach is reflected throughout the package, which emphasizes accuracy over broad strokes.
Rather than simply carrying over an existing scenery, the developer has fully remastered the heliport for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The textures have been reworked to highlight the different materials found on site: weathered concrete on the helipad, the rough stone of the breakwater, rusted ship hulls, and the general wear and grime that accumulates in a working harbour environment.
One of the more notable aspects of this scenery is the amount of animation packed into a relatively compact area. From the entrance of the pier to the far end of the breakwater, you'll find an automatic gate, moving barriers, a retractable bollard, windsocks responding to the wind, a working lighthouse, animated people, seagulls, cranes from a nearby building site, and even fireworks. The developer describes this level of animation as unusual for a heliport scenery, and it's clear the goal was to make the location feel inhabited rather than static.
Harbour Traffic
Boats within the port aren't just static props either. They depart their berths and move to find open mooring spots, with navigation behavior designed to stay consistent within the harbour's layout, adding another layer of life to the scene as you fly in and out.
The Yacht: A Scenery Within the Scenery
Perhaps the standout feature of this package is the large yacht included as part of the scene. This isn't a simple static boat model moored at the dock. The yacht actually sails, following several routes off the coast of Cannes, and you can land a helicopter directly on its deck. Once landed, a lift lowers the helicopter into the yacht's hangar, after which the hatch closes above it, a sequence that adds a cinematic touch to arrivals.
What sets this yacht apart further is that you can walk around on deck and move through its interior while it's underway, something the developer notes isn't normally possible in Flight Simulator by default. Inside, the yacht includes a long dining table complete with a small decorative train running along it, a kitchen, several lounges, a museum space, and even a cinema room.
Availability
LFTL - Cannes Heliport – Quai du Large is built specifically for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and is available now on Flightsim.to. If you're interested in adding this detailed slice of the French Riviera, complete with its animated harbour, sailing yacht, and walkable interiors, to your simulator, you can find it at the official product page: 🔆LFTL - Cannes Heliport – Quai du Large.