"Orval Fairbairn" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"Les Gawlik" wrote:

Yes, I think this is the one where you come in over a road in one
direction.
There was a great picture of a plane landing, with vehicles on the road.
The link to the picture was posted here a while ago. It was just
amazing.


"JohnMcGrew" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(Scott Lowrey) writes:

Anybody have experience with truly bizarre runways (not including
carriers)?

St Barts, in the Carribean. The approach has you aiming about 50 feet
agl
through a "saddle". (hills on both sides of you as you decend) After
crossing
to the other side, you dive to where you pick up the approach end of
the
runway, with about 5%+ downslope. The usable part of the runway is
less
than
2500 feet. Kill the lift asap, and hit the brakes. (The ****ters I
watched
there have the props in flat-pitch even before the wheels are on the
ground)
Departure is almost as interesting; taxi to the uphill side, and zip
on
down
the hill. At the other end of the runway is a beach. After you're
over
water,
you immediately turn left while climbing to avoid the raising terrain
on
the
other side of the cove. As a reminder of the cost of failure here,
there's a
pile of about a half-dozen wrecks litterally stacked one on top of the
other.
(as usuable space is limited)


I've visited St Barts (although I did not fly in) and can verify the
above. The approach is just ovet a prime intersection for the island,
with the planes 30 feet overhead.

I think that it would be especially dicey with a crosswind, as the
runway sits in a box canyon.

The ultimate for tricky approaches, at least for the big iron, might be
Quito Ecuador. In a curved canyon, high steep sides, around 11,000 feet
elevation, and RIGHT in the middle of a city of 2 million. I heard you have
to serve as 1st officer for 1 year, flying in and out regularly, before they
will let you captain there. (at least for 1 Latin major)
--
Jim in NC