Mirrodie From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 7421 posts, RR: 65 Reply 3, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 6482 times:
SXM and JFK are both on there?
Shows how much of a joke that article is. This Farhad Heydari, the author, is just silly.
I question this particular quote: ""A lot of these airports require additional training and route familiarization because they’re so crazy," says one commercial pilot who flies international routes."
Do SXM and JFK require special clearance to fly?
Forum moderator 2001-2010; He's a pedantic, pontificating, pretentious bastard, a belligerent old fart, a worthless st
KcrwFlyer From United States of America, joined May 2004, 3629 posts, RR: 7 Reply 4, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 6468 times:
I'm surprised JFK is even on there, and that SXM is number 2. I also cant believe Toncontin is 7th, and Saba is last.
Whats scary about JFK or Gibraltar for that matter?
UAL777UK From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2005, 3355 posts, RR: 1 Reply 7, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 6368 times:
not sure about this article.....Barra, Scary...having flown in on the twin otter on numerous occasions onto a massive beech its in no way scary. Fantastic yes, not scary!
ANCFlyer From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 6282 times:
Quoting Mirrodie (Reply 3): Shows how much of a joke that article is.
DCA, GIB, nothing scary about them. Been in to/out of both. Nothing to it.
Wanna get your panties in a wad over a runway . . .
Try DUT or SIT.
Dutch has a mountain at the end of the "usual" departure runway that DEMANDS an immediate left turn or your world is certainly gonna get ugly. And it's only 3700' long. Try that in a 737!
SIT is built on a manmade island in the middle of a bay . . . try watching the plane get lower and lower and lower - being able to read what's written on the hat of a local fisherman before "Poof" there's the runway - 10 feet below you . . .
Tegucigalpa? Nothing to that one either . . . Been there and done that.
XT6Wagon From United States of America, joined Feb 2007, 3133 posts, RR: 4 Reply 9, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 6281 times:
I don't think its in any order.
and I think you could fill the entire list with small islands OR cliff top runways. There is alot of world out there and most of it is just not able to support 2 mile long runways.
Point is the dude writing it doesn't care if he is accurate, just that he gets his check for some filler in a travel mag/site
UltimateDelta From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 1994 posts, RR: 6 Reply 12, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 5935 times:
That was so stupid. National isn't really scary, just tricky to get into/out of. I think Stehekin (6S9) in Washingotn state takes the cake. It is in a tiny bowl in the Cascades, with mountains rising up on all sides about 1,500 feet from the end of the super-short runway. I have only visited it on FSX, but that is enough to keep me away in reality.
PlymSpotter From Spain, joined Jun 2004, 11144 posts, RR: 63 Reply 13, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 5933 times:
I don't agree with all of those, there is nothing scary about a runway with an ILS installed, so I really don't see why some of them are in there other than to make the general public think that they have probably flown from incredibly dangerous places, when they haven't.
I'd put forwards Khorog in Tajikistan as being one of the most dangerous, along with many in Nepal and perhaps also Caticlan in the Philippines if we're talking about their BAe 146 service to that airport.
AirAmericaC46 From United States of America, joined Mar 2004, 590 posts, RR: 1 Reply 14, posted (5 years 1 month 2 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 5915 times:
My vote goes to Lukla, Nepal. The end of the runway drops to the world's deepest ravine!
BA787 From United Kingdom, joined Jun 2006, 2596 posts, RR: 8 Reply 16, posted (5 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 5798 times:
I'm surprised Courcehevel Airport isn't listed there. Suppose it's not really big enought to be listed.
Also, from a passengers perspective, both CMF amd TRN are interestingly scary approaches.
TRN is quite good fun as you sweep over the Alps at some daunting altitudes
CMF is nothing special unless you're in a fully loaded 737-700ER or an -800. The approach is steep as it is, and then you slam onto the runway and get thrown forward as full brakes are applied . Those on the right of the aircraft have the most heart wrenching experience as they realise how little runway is left after you stop.
L-188 From United States of America, joined Jul 1999, 29352 posts, RR: 62 Reply 20, posted (5 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 1 hour ago) and read 5701 times:
Shows how much of a joke that article is. This Farhad Heydari, the author, is just silly.
Agreed, those don't deserve to be there.
Quoting ANCFlyer (Reply 8): SIT is built on a manmade island in the middle of a bay . . . try watching the plane get lower and lower and lower - being able to read what's written on the hat of a local fisherman before "Poof" there's the runway - 10 feet below you
Japonski Island wasn't man-made, there are a couple of causeway extensions but the island there has been there a while.
Besides it isn't that difficult, I would rank Juneau, Skagway and Valdez all as much tougher.
And the backdoor, this is the direction that the goose that Pen-air just lost came in from, at the base of the runway is a road past the airport, that is what the truck was on that it hit.
You can play a game in these two videos, see if you can see the 150 foot obstruction 1/8th of a mile off the runway end that was notamed that day.
TristarSteve From Sweden, joined Nov 2005, 3694 posts, RR: 34 Reply 22, posted (5 years 1 month 1 week 5 days 22 hours ago) and read 5598 times:
I would like to add Shiraz in Iran.
When I worked for Gulf Air we flew there. In the B737 it was daylight only. Only the VC10 was allowed there in darkness. The airport was in a bowl of mountains. The standard departure was to turn at 500 ft on departure and continue in a rate 1 turn until you had climbed about 8000 ft above airport elevation before heading home. In the B737 it took about 3-4 360deg circles to get above the mountains.
I was last there in 1981 just after the Iran Revolution and we were evacuating Shell employees. I was glad to leave as there was gunfire and explosions in the city only a couple of miles away!
BoeingOnFinal From Norway, joined Apr 2006, 476 posts, RR: 0 Reply 24, posted (5 years 1 month 1 week 5 days 17 hours ago) and read 5481 times:
Quote: Because of the diminutive 1,312-foot-long runway perched at the edge of a couloir at 7,550 feet, becoming airborne at the end of the tarmac is virtually impossible. Instead, you drop down the face of a 2,000-foot cliff until you start flying.
You really should have thought of that before landing at that particular runway, shouldn't you? I surely hope this was an exaggeration for the sake of the article!
norwegianpilot.blogspot.com
25 Mirrodie: Thanks for the links re: Dutch Harbor. I recall reading about that in some aviation magazine several months ago. You guys ought to email T+L magazine
26 Miamiair: Here you have it in a puddle jumper, tosses out the anchor real quick.
27 BAe146QT: The 'article' states that the Twotters which land at Barra are "specially rigged". Does anyone know in what way? One other thing; Does anyone see anyt
28 BWilliams: I would guess that they have larger tires which would give them better traction when breaking on the sand.
29 Sprout5199: Landing at KLAL (went to Sun-n-Fun) this weekend was pretty scary, "Maule turn final NOW, Maule land on green dot, Maule land between green and orange
30 AirWillie6475: While there is nothing scary about sitting in the back and enjoying the view out the window, inside the cockpit the 2 pilots are hard at work trying
31 Gkyip: Probably referring to the up and coming takeover of Loganair by Flybe. I thought the same when I first read it! First I've heard of Lesotho though, l
32 EssentialPowr: Quito. ANCFlyer, have you flown an airliner in and out of Tegoose, or ridden in back??? Wouldn't one have had to actually flown an aircraft in/out of
33 Mozart: Whilst I agree that the journalist is a layman, and whilst I agree that there are some other airports where pilots are challenged more than at a usual
34 Brendows: Indeed, and the fact that it's next to the Barents Sea doesn't make it any easier. For those who are not familiar with ENHV, check out the charts her
36 BAe146QT: That is awesome. Reminds me of that 'runway' the film Air America.
37 Qantas744ER: Actually Atlas sends their 742Fs and 744Fs on a regular basis. 346 is longer but not bigger. Leo
38 Mozart: Arnie Pie - where did you find that photo?!? I've been looking for it for years! It's been on a.net at one point, but I never found it back! Where is
39 TupolevTu154: Ahh . Should've remembered that! And I've just been infomed that all these airlines operate to GIB!
40 ArniePie: http://www.mullers.net/mike/Briefings/Runway-Analysis.jpg I believe it's some old (60's and 70's era) bush runway used for smuggling weaponry and suc
41 Starlionblue: I think "crash" is a bit strong. It overran the runway after tires burst. No fatalities and the aircraft was not written off.
42 WestJetForLife: My vote goes to Grand Forks, British Columbia. (CZGF) Not only do you have to worry about mountains surrounding the airport (until you're on final app
43 CO777ER: Um.. how about EGE? There's a mountain at the end of the runway. http://www.airliners.net/photo/-/-/1345372/M/[Edited 2008-04-18 17:08:24]
44 Todallasigo: I think it is more intimidating to stand on Maho beach while any Jet is landing in St Maarten and listen to everyone yell, "oh no! My picnic basket/hu