FSX Hardy Monument Scenery

HARDY MONUMENT for FSX with VFR Generation X

NOTE: If possible please refer to the enclosed README.pdf

Location

50º 41’ 12.21" North 2º 32’ 57.13" West
Ordnance Survey (OS) grid reference: 361301 087601

Installation

Simply copy the unzipped "Hardy Monument" folder (and its Scenery and Texture sub-folders) into the Addon Scenery sub-folder of Flight Sim. Then inside Flight Sim (FSX) select Settings > Scenery Library > Add Area... and navigate to and select the "Hardy Monument" folder you just unzipped.

The Monument

Hardy Monument is situated high on Black Down near the village of Portesham in Dorset, England. The nearest airfields with ICAO codes are Westland’s in Yeovil (EGHG), Bournemouth International Airport (EGHH) and the former Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) at Portland (EGDP), aka HMS Osprey.

Although only 8.6 km WSW of Thomas Hardy’s Casterbridge (i.e. Dorchester) this tower has nothing to do with the 19th century novelist and poet. Instead it stands in memory of Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, Royal Navy. The then Captain Hardy famously commanded Nelson’s flagship HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (21st Oct. 1805). When Nelson was mortally wounded on the Victory his last words to his friend and Captain were “kiss me, Hardy”, although this is now believed to have been “kismet Hardy”, from the Arabic word meaning “It is fate”.

This popular octagonal, 22m (72 ft) tall landmark is owned by the National Trust and manned by volunteers from April through September (mostly weekends). A £2 entrance fee allows you to climb the spiral staircase to a parapet to take in views stretching from The Needles on the Isle of Wight to Start Point in Devon (covering five counties) on a very clear day.

The Scenery

This FSDS v3 scenery was designed for and tested with FSX and Horizon Simulation’s VFR Generation X Volume 1 “Southern England & South Wales”.

However, it was created using MakeMDL and BGLcomp from the FS2004 SDK and therefore should also be compatible with FS2004 and Horizon Simulation’s VFR Terrain and VFR Photographic Scenery, England & Wales: Part 2 (also published by Just Flight as VFR Photographic Scenery Volume 2, Central & Southern England).

Crucially, the altitude above ground level (AGL) was set to zero in the XML file, so it’ll sit atop any terrain model (mesh) you might be using (inc. the default in Flight Sim mesh).