An exclusive interview with ... UK 2000 !

Four questions to Gary Summons, founder of UK2000. Where does he come, where is he going and opinions... Gary is not a talker. So let's enjoy these few words...


1) Airdailyx : Gary, first of all, can you tell us a word about UK 2000. When did you found it, where and were you alone to found it ?

Gary Summons : UK2000 Scenery was founded in 1998, and the first airport I made was ‘Exeter' airport in the southwest of England for FS98. At the time it just a hobby, but went professional in 2000 (‘hence the name UK2000). I and my wife run the business ever since and have continues to improve the scenery we make.


2) Airdailyx : With the EXtrem generation of airports, you have delivered a lot of mid-size and heavy british airports with up-to-date technologies (lights and textures effects, for instance). What could be the next generation ? What do you still want to improve in your airports ?

Gary : That depends on the simulator, but a bare minimum is more use of 3D people and better airport vehicles and animation. But Im hoping a new sim will come along that can bring new ability's to the flight sim market. The current FSX and FS2004 simulators do not have real time lighting and advance shading, as such a lot of time is wasted making shading effects on textures files which most moderm ‘games’ dont have to do.


3) How do you analyse the british market and british designers ? I think that the only other scenery designer is Earth Sim. Did i miss some others ? What do you think of the youngest generation (Kevin Firth, the guys from Southwest Design etc ? )

There are a few good designers around, there also Eiresim, and Iain at Scotflight, but hopefully I can stay as the main airport producers for the UK.


4) UK 2000 is working on two or three projects simultaneously, i think. What is your road map ?
East Midlands ? A new VFR pack ? Any interest in some foreign airport ?

Gary : I will mainly concentrate on the Xtreme range. The VFR Airfields scenery has not sold well, so I have plans to remake it, its still the case the most users prefer single airports, rather than a collection of smaller airfields.


Thanks a lot Gary, for your time. I received your answers late yesterday night and i appreciated it.
Dom Mason