Old Airfield
Insular Airfield is an “anomaly” or easter egg consisting of a landing strip running east-west and, south of it, a control tower and two open hangars. Flanking the buildings are also six rectangular sections of various dimensions outlined by low walls. The airfield appears abandoned and in disrepair.
The landing strip is approximately 1.25 km long, perfectly level at ~133m above sea level, and appears to be dirt. The east and west ends of the strip drop off sharply and there are steep hills running parallel on the north and south sides, making landings more dangerous than at KSC's Runway. Unlike the Runway, it is not illuminated. The only light is a beacon on top of the control tower. Wheeled vehicles parked without brakes engaged will slowly roll toward the length midpoint.
The tower is particularly ruinous with segments of the façade fallen down and ivy growing inside. It is possible to get a Kerbal to the top via an outdoor staircase accessible from the north side of the tower.
The hangar floors look eroded with dirt washed in. Inside the west hangar are parts from early versions of KSP.
Contents
Gallery
The building at the central area of the landing strip.
Debris dropped down.
View at the top part of the tower.
In the far right hangar, there are some old rusty parts lying around. These are the old models of the Command Pod Mk1, FL-T500 Fuel Tank and the LV-T30 Liquid Fuel Engine. Note that the command pod's scale is incorrect; it now appears to have a large radial size on the bottom, although it had a small one while still available as a part.
Location
The airfield is located on the north side of the largest and northern-most of the string of islands ~32 km east-southeast of KSC.
History
In version 0.18, the ground had a rock-sand texture and was elevated above the beach terrain around it. There where three hangars. The tower was octagonal and was a completely closed structure. All buildings were south of the landing strip.[1]
Prior to the redesign in version 0.22 the landing strip had been changed to a grass-like texture and was situated on grassy terrain, which some found hard to distinguish for landing. The buildings were all moved to the north side of the landing strip.[2]
References
- ↑ Earliest known YouTube video of landing at Island Airfield
- ↑ YouTube video of Island Airfield between v0.18 and v0.22
Fan fiction
The Insular Airfield was once a thriving space center, back before KSC. It was owned by Insular Inc. Then one day, their Recco Space Station exploded in orbit (possibly from a Kraken). All the astronauts on the station were killed, except for Bill Kerman. He barely managed to get back home alive. Bill was crushed by the loss of his comrades. Insular was so devastated that they shut down entirely. The old island is now overgrown and the launch pad is collapsed. The control tower and hanger survive only today because of Bill's efforts. 20 years later, Bill Kerman heard that a new space center was being built close to his beloved Insular Airfield. He rushed to apply as an astronaut. He was accepted on account of his experience. Now every time he travels into space, he is scared that his rocket will explode and he will die. But he loves space flight so much that he just bears it.
