KFOK Francis S. Grabeski Airport and ANG Base

tgycgijoes

tgycgijoes

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I was given a flight to do from this airport and no where online is free OR payware that I found for it except an x-plane and MSFS 2020. The default on P3D is nothing but the runways and taxiways and incorrect from 15 years ago when it was probably made for FSX and ported over when P3D Was created. I am going to do this if no one here has done it and I didn't find it. Post here and let me know please. It is quite complex and I don't want to spend a month on it to have someone say they did it. Even MAIW didn't have anything except the H-130s in the 106th which IS nice.
 
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Tonight I did a lot of virtual wandering around the base and got all the photos I need for the ANG side. This was formerly the Suffolk County Air Force Base, home to Fighter Interceptor Squadrons in the 1960s. I got intrigued by the empty dirt and grass areas which were once AFB buildings but are now gone. I found the Facebook page and got to read a lot of memories by guys who were once stationed there inluding Air Police K-9 handlers since this was a very important, secure base during the Cold War. It was home to F-101B Voodoo's of the 2nd FIS, and 98th FIS units there in 1960's if my information is correct. The two squadrons comprised the 52nd Fighter Interceptor Wing. A note was made that the USCG uses the few buildings that remain from the AFB days. I am going to take my time and try and do this justice and create a really complete scenery since our computers can now handle the memory with their 64bit technology of Prepar3D V4.5 and V5.0 instead of the limitations of FSX. MAIW provides the HC-130J's of the 102nd Rescue Sqn of the 106th Rescue Wing (formerly Group). I also found a HH-60W Pavehawk Helicopter of the 101st Rescue Squadron. These two units and supporting units are part of the 106th Rescue Wing.
 
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Worked all afternoon yesterday and today. I couldn't use "One-click Hanger" to make these because of their odd shape (I tried cause I like it) so they had to be done by hand to measurements and photos off Google Earth. Not as nice I think as they looked in Sketchup but that sometimes happens. Here is a shot of the real ones and then a shot of the first objects in KFOK on P3D V4.5KFOK Real Life 2026 ANG.png
KFOK ANG Hangers inP3D.png
I guess that they look gray and not off white because of the lighting at 17:00
I think that I am going to recolor the insides of all the open hangers charcoal like they look in the actual photo in the shadows and make the closed hanger door on #2 a lighter shade to be contrasting. Some artistic license to make it look better. That's work for next week. All in all though the shape came out satisfactory after all the work it took.
 
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After about three hours work with a couple of hiccups when mdcx put the wrong 24bit on the textures...here is today's update. I may tweak these hangers one more time to be totally satisfied. They're better but not up to par IMO. That's enough for today though. Evening church service tonight.KFOK ANG Hangers.jpg
 
Last night I found a jpg after quite a bit of searching...this morning back at Sketchup changing Hanger 1 (to 1A) I am pleased with this result. Here is a screenshot after three tries, I like it. Now I can move on to the next buildings on this corner of the airport.

KFOK ANG Hangers.png
 
After all the errands I had to do this afternoon, that is all for today. I will start back at it tomorrow morning after breakfast. I knew when I started this that it was not a quick project. I DID find something "cool" today from MAIW: East Coast Squadrons and after installing it found Suffolk County AFB in it. It is made for FS9 but I am going to see if I can use the AI and convert the Flight Plans with AIFP to Prepar3D V4.5. Also on the Francis S. Grabowski ANG Facebook page, I discovered a Jeppsen Airport Chart from 2005. Time will tell.........
 
A good day's work...the little building in the middle of the two hangers took much longer than I thought but I am really done with the first segment of the ANG portion of KFOK. More tomorrow.center workshop.png
 
Here is the latest hanger that I just finished today, the first of the two HC130 Hercules hangers at KFOK. I had to do some artistic highlighting to it for MDCx to show the detail of the folded hanger doors but I am satisfied with it now.

Hanger 4A.png
 
Well, I found the HC-130-J in my Prepar3D Hanger. I also was able to find the paintkit so that I can repaint for RQS-102. I intend to make one of the four assigned aircraft flyable and the other three JYAI HC-130s from the squadron as AI with the MAIW flight plans. Interestingly, the CS C130s don't install into P3D only FSX with the installer, but I was able to just copy and paste into the P3D Sim Objects. Models and textures are compatible as is the paint kit. Also found an upgraded interior sound and an EFB checklist to add to it over at AVSIM by ESKO Halli. The Google links didn't work but when I searched by his name they came up in the AVSIM File Library.

Here is today's efforts before I quit for the day:
HC-130 Hanger 2.jpg
The basic hanger except for the Field Elevation placard is the same as the other hanger so some of the work was done. The buildings on the wings and around the back were different so that took some extra effort.
 
Three days work on this because of the composite shapes of the building and its size...here is a composite jpg of the front and the back. I tried something and it worked in Sketchup. I took an aerial screenshot of the building in Google Earth and then drew the roof line by line carefully connecting them to get a finished shape. Then I push/pulled it to the proper height and then went to work on doors, windows and awnings. I keep challenging myself. The "Francis S. Grabeski ANG HQ" will be next with it's composite roof and two buildings connected. I am going to get a years worth of Vali Roof (an architect's software to make roofs). Talked to the designer Chuck Vali who said it will work in Sketchup so I can export and create bgl's.

Composite 106th Ops Group HQ.jpg
 
When I have finished all the good buildings, I am going to try and do this just because I never have:

falling down building.png
There are a number of thesse derelict buildings around the airport from when it was a Fighter/Interceptor air force base during the Cold War. i think it will add character since they are not all knocked down yet. I read that the USCG is using some of the left-over USAF buildings that are not in that bad shape. this is not nearly as large or involved as my NAS Alameda but it still is a complex project. Maybe I'll have it finished by Halloween. LOL!
 
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Didn't get a chance to do anything constructive today. Too much real life got in the way. I hope to start the ANG HQ buildings tomorrow. They will be challenging. More so than the 106th Ops building I finished yesterday. That is the building with the tall tower in the August 22nd real photo. I saw a photo of the inside of the tower on their Facebook page showing para-rescue airmen practising rapalling.
 
Something a little different today. This is one of the former USAF buildings (334 Cook Street) that is being used because there were a number of cars and pickups parked around it. Across the street is the Volo Cafe which has a good looking menu online. I didn't feel like getting involved in any thing more complex today, it's hot and very humid and even though the AC is doing a good job, the air itself is dead. Tomorrow I may do the Volo Cafe to finish off this corner. This is the first airport (not ANG) building I've done. As I get further along I will probably put in the parking and some cars/pickups around all the buildings be careful not to bog down the frame rates with them so I'll use parking from ADEx even though Sketchup has some really nice ones, they are really complex and I don't think that is needed.

334 Cook Street.png
 
Today I discovered a new free satellite photo source by accident but I am so glad that I did. In Google Earth, the street views are 17 years newer and show KFOK as it is now (at least in 2024) and the aerial view with all the old areas that once were USAF buildings which I discovered is 2009. I hunted around for a newer source and here is the result. I will be able to crete KFOK as it now is with Amazon and other leased new buildings. It's funny that Google Earth has pins for a lot of different businesses on the aerial view tht you can see on Earth 360.

Now and then at KFOK.jpg
As I continue with the airport/ang base I will probably not be doing any damaged buildings or rubble areas since it appears now that all that or virtually is gone.
 
Stuck in my bedroom with a head cold, I created these two simple maintenance sheds and loaded them into the airport. I also earlier this week did another hanger. This one is an airport building not ANG. Sheds.jpgHanger shot.jpg
 
Lousy cold doesn't want to completely go away so I'm spending another day in my room and might as well create. I started the Motorpool building yesterday and worked on it until I got tired. I finished it up today. Had one snag. I had used some really nice detailed overhead door models from Sketchup. I've used them before, but there were too many in this model. After two tries with Model Converter X to crete a scenery bgl, I just decided to simplify it and deleted all the overhead doors and replaced them with "painted" retangles. From a distance they look they same and it was much smaller and both MDCx and the user for fps will appreciate that. Sketchup does some really super models but for architects not Flight Simulator or MDCx to compile. I found a free "Roof" extension from TIG and used it to create all these different roofs. Vali's is really a super extension, and I wouldn't mind spending the subscription but I'm afraid that it's overkill for Prepr3D. We don't need all the rafters in a building we only see from the outside. This one works just fine for me. I had to remove the soda machine too. If you want a soda, go across to the USCG Minimart. It will be modeled too (no interior). kfok motorpool 1.pngLOL.

kfok motorpool 2.png
 
Here is the work for today. Everything came out perfectly IMO including the texture of the parking lot. Yesterday I made the comment about if you wanted a soda you had to go across to the Coast Guard Exchange, so here it is completed. I tried something which worked so cool: the back wall is textured with a jpg of the inside of a mini-mart that was free. You can see it through the glass doors behind the dad and his two kids coming out. The cars and 2D figures are all Sketchup downloads. I picked all the small size ones and I had no problem in MCX or ADEx with file size. I think that it adds having people. Here are two screenshots.
KFOK CGX 1.png
KFOK CGX 2.png
 
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