Runway 27 News
Runway 27 went on-line back in 1996 (the counter came later) essentially as a place for users to download my scenery files for Microsoft Flight Simulator. At the time, I was creating UK scenery as part of the UK Scenery Design Team (UKDT) whose goal was to provide high-quality, seamless, Freeware scenery for the whole of the UK. That goal was never fully achieved but a commercial company, VFR Scenery Ltd, was formed in order to market the final product -which was generally well-received.
Microsoft's updated versions of Flight Simulator (FS2000, 2002) made our work pretty well obsolete, and rather than relearn the programming requirements and completely redesign my work (which included all of Wales, SW England, East Midlands and much of SE England and other areas) I decided to quit that field. I did not then nor do I now consider myself a programmer and only got into scenery design because I wanted a version of Withybush (Haverfordwest) airfield from which to fly myself in Flight Simulator. VFR Scenery has since made very little progress commercially and the scenery designers have received almost no return for their work.
Since then, I have maintained Runway 27 more for my own interest with less and less flight simulation content. In fact, I very rarely actually use any flight simulator these days.
Having recently recovered from an 18-year illness that prevented me from working seriously since 1990, I have started work again. The line of work I am in can have some pretty unusual shift patterns. In spite of that, I hope to continue the Neyland Webcam (providing we stay in Neyland) and hopefully, will keep Runway 27 going as a personal point of contact whatever transpires over the next few years.
Paul Michaels
| Date | Detail |
| 02.02.2007 |
No changes just yet, but I am moving to Peru in a few months. I will try to maintain R27 and
provide a page of what we're doing - and of course, photos.
We are due to be based in Cuzco to start off with but don't know where we will end up. |
| 29.05.05 | The Neyland Webcam closes - I'm moving out of the area |
| 17.08.04 | Spanish version added - it will take time to translate all the pages |
| 15.12.03 | Runway 27 now hosted by Tiscali - the pmichaels.com redirection should work soon |
| 17.09.03 | Scripture popup added |
| 11.04.03 |
Major overhaul
Most of the Flight Simulator information has been removed - downloads are still available. The site has been moved off of Virgin. |
| 04.04.02 |
FS98 Downloads no longer available.
The FS2002 ones are still available. |
| 16.03.02 |
Neyland Webcam added.
Starting today -once I've got it all sorted- I'll have an up-to-date shot of the Cleddau Estuary at Neyland taken from my office window. |
why I won't be going fly fishing again