Most difficult/rewarding approach?

[Two_Sox]

Hi,

Not a pilot myself but I've alway wanted to ask this question.

I've been a frequent user of MSFS and was wandering what is the most difficult/rewarding approach to make?

I understand that landing at the old Hong-Kong intl used to be quiet tricky? :bored:

Many thanks.

[lvaxf]

always depending on the rwys in use, but here is my choice...

HKG (specially at night time)
AKL
SYD
SEZ (has an interesting approach and good view of the island)
PVG + PEK (level of english of controllers can have sooo much variety...)
DXB at night time has strobe lights all over the sky
SAH

[411A]

Circling at LOWI with a B720...:ooh:

[Dan Winterland]

The most rewarding?

Any approach when I'm in overtime. Particularly when I'm in double overtime :ok:

[Sobelena]

In that case Dan, you're not a pilot; you're a mercenary :E ;)

[FlightlessParrot]

I'm a resident in AKL, and fly to SYD sometimes. Please could you explain what's especially challenging or rewarding about these approaches? The scenery coming into Auckland can be lovely, depending on the approach, but I've never thought that it would be demanding like, say, Wellington on a windy day.

Many thanks.

[dlav]

Nice is always quite a good one :ok:

[Bearcat]

circling approach into Dubrovnik in crap weather....sorts out the weak ones....

[Hyperborean]

33 at Sumburgh?

[parabellum]

I'm told Innsbruck can be a bit of a challenge in IMC.

[411A]

I'm told Innsbruck can be a bit of a challenge in IMC.

Ahhhh, yes, see post #3.

[dlav]

Zurich can be quite a tricky one too

[exlatccatsa]

Hyperborean
I've just found of a Saab 340 on a lighthouse approach to RW 33 at Sumburgh...It really brings back the memories!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz5_7gXkqgs

But the best approach I ever did at Sumburgh was to the opposite end, 15 left hand, inside the hill. Didn't stop the turn till one wheel was on the runway

enjoy!!

[hellsbrink]

Sorry HB, but this video keeps on getting posted. We don't need another one. A google for 'Tegucigalpa-Toncontin' will suffice.

[RoyHudd]

Santiago de Cuba....at night, ILS....dodgy as hell...local guys opt for the offset VOR approach to keep a safe distance from the hills. I hated the place, especially flying with the macho aces fresh off the IL-62.

[Waldo.P]

From what GE.com has told me Bahgdad and Mosul sound interesting.

[Parkbremse]

KTW is fun... due to the not working ILS (only localizer working...), no DME (the one stated in the charts is 40nm away and you simply don't recieve it below 2000ft) and no PAPI this is effectivly a VFR airfield with a long runway. Fun to fly on a cavok day doing a visual hand-flown circuit without all the gadgets but quite challenging to dangerous when the weather gets nasty... At least terrain is no factor there...

[CentreFix25]

I used to love landing downhill at Bagby. Especially before the runway extension and before the tree and electric/telecom wires were removed from the centre-line on short finals! Followed by a bacon butty and a cup of coffee in the club house.

[Intruder]

Any aircraft carrier around midnight, so you can anticipate the sliders at midrats when you make it "home"... MUCH more "rewarding" if the deck is moving and you still make it aboard first try! :)

[Impress to inflate]

A rig radar at night in crap weather. Also Sumburgh 33 on a very windy day !!

[old git 99]

Speaking purely as one who sits in the seats at the back rather than the front, the Greek Islands can be quite interesting as most are fairly small and mountainous and not many flat areas.
Skiathos is quite entertaining with a short runway meaning the brakes have to go on straight away as you land. The runway goes over the brow of a hill so you cant see the other end, and you have the sea at both ends if you overshoot. The best one has to be Samos. The island is an elongated U shape with mountains. The flight path in involves flying round the inside of the U well below the tops of the mountains. We did the trip in a 757 which didn't seem too bad inside, but looks pretty spectacular from the ground as they bank very steeply.

[BOAC]

but looks pretty spectacular from the ground as they bank very steeply. - one hopes not! Bank angles should not vary from the norm in Samos (Max 30 degrees).

[capt.sparrow]

Surely Sion and London City are contenders - great views and steep approaches for getting your palms sweaty!

[ww2flyer]

Aspen, KASE.

Beautiful but challenging, especially for the Circle.

[plumponpies]

Circle for 36 Chambery......gets you thinking.
Fantastic on a gin clear day, very interesting in weather!

[Paradise Lost]

Rather than "where" is the most difficult/interesting approach, I would volunteer any approach when the pax have a better view of the runway than me due to max crosswind with some low level shear to spice things up a bit!

[brs planespotter]

would funchal have been a candidate for a tricky approach before the runway was extended?allways been intrigued by this place,regards,brs planespotter

[Alloy]

Funchal/Maderia is only a little better with the extra stilts/runway as the winds at each end of the runway can still be the reciprocal of each other.

[brs planespotter]

in the event of bad weather at fnc,which would be the best alternate?how long would you hold for?best regards,brs planespotter:O

[BOAC]

Normally Porto Santo. Holding depends on what the bad weather is. If it is wind, the chances of improvement are slim in real time. If is just a shower or whatever, maybe worth holding.

[c2lass]

Just a mere SLF who lives in Aberdeen. Being a nervous flyer, especially on landing, I always hate coming back into ABZ knowing its a short runway. Occassionally I have heard some Captains' mention the short runway over the PA. I would be interested to hear if ABZ is a challenge or not. It may put my mind at rest anyway for my next flight :hmm:

[Alloy]

Porto Santo as BOAC said.

[ewe.lander]

Sion on a bright hazy day...... having worked out the procedure in your thick Yorkshire head, you get to minima and the haze obscures the Airfield, and Cumulogranite surrounds.....

or....London City having just dropped off at Biggin hill, the controller says 'this will be radar vectors to a short pattern...blah blah' (Thank God for Al Murray.......) and the F/O says 'wibble.....':uhoh:

[crispey]

Luckla in the Himalyas.Dark coloured clothing required.

[Alloy]

Lukla equals mountains, sloping runways, weather, few aids and no go around!:=

Take a look at the end of this video, end of the runway is solid vertical granite!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIVNICX97Vo&feature=related

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rq_S_vAsiuo&feature=related

Twin Otter and Dornier 228 country!

[Doors to Automatic]

Anything around or below the 6000ft mark is a challenge for medium and larger jets so yes ABZ would be a challenge, particularly when the weather starts playing up!

Jersey is another tight one. As is Belfast City and Leeds Bradford

[mcdhu]

Gilgit, Pakistan in a 146.

[Tmbstory]

Petropavlovsk Kamchatskly on the Kamchatka Peninsula, the airport is close to sea level and there is a dormant volcano about 11000ft, 4 miles from the ARP on a downwind leg.

Keep the ILS in the middle!

Tmb

[SX983]

Nobody on here been to Khasab then?

[aviatordom]

One of the most difficult approaches i've seen (& experienced) is the Rwy 05 approach into Madeira Funchal, especially on a windy day!

[kwachon]

Sulaymaniyah VOR 13 is a good one, made it at night during a sandstorm without any scratches...:ok:

[Flieger empor!]

Any opinions on GCRR (Lanzarote) ?

[Nubboy]

On the way in, or on the way out??:ok:

[Flieger empor!]

Both, please!

[redsnail]

I love Sion LSGS and Samedan LSZS for the spectacular views. Great fun when there's no cloud around.

Chambery with the circle to rwy 36 is great during the day in good wx. At night... well, must be a straight in 18 for us.

The Sion missed app is one to make my brain snap but I like our escape procedure. Essentially, pootle down the valley, turn right, go to Geneva. (Other technical details but that's the gist of it).

Lon City always gets my attention. But I treat it more as a challenge than something to fear.

Gibralter's entertaining but haven't been there for a while.

Cairo's HECA amazing. Nothing overly challenging but flying over the pyramids is really outstanding.

I like the arrival into Split, Croatia. Glorious views over the water.

The visual arrival into Cairns YBCS from the west was a cracker. :E

Speaking of visuals, the visual circle to land at Cannes is fun. Usually have to battle a bit of a xw at times.

Sydney's YSSY pretty nice. Nothing challenging per se but the view's sensaish. :ok:

Rekjavic BIRK at midnight with a nasty cold front is a tonne of fun... not. :ooh:

[birdonthewire]

Anyone who's ever landed in the Channel Islands 30kt fogs will be nodding right now.

[FLCH]

Not my most difficult, but alarming. I was doing a CAT3/Land3 approach in a 767-400 into EHAM, I was already looking outside the windshield at 30' I saw the tail of a 737 ahead in the fog at night. My F/O and I just had the time to say "S**T !" then the sim instructor yelled "My bad!"...... he forgot to take the 737 off the runway from our previous approach in order to make us go around.

[con-pilot]

For me personally it has to be Aspen, Colorado (KASE).

[Hyperborean]

Possibly out of date as I left 24 years ago but how about Port Vila ,Bauerfield, in the wet season.Final inbound track to a low powered locator on close right base followed by a curved visual following 5 strobe lights to a very short final for the runway. I glimpsed a 727 on one occasion just as he went through the centreline to disappear behind the coconuts to the north of the tower. There followed a period that felt like minutes but was probably about 15 seconds during which the only reason I knew he was still airborne was because i could still hear the engines. He then reappeared just climbing and the wrong side of the tower.

[Evalu8ter]

Night to a carrier wearing AR5 & NVG.....

Don't suggest trying it on MSFS, might get some odd looks....!

[Seat62K]

As a passenger I enjoy landing at Belfast City in Ryanair's 737-800s. The views aren't particularly spectacular but the approaches and landings are thrilling!

[rej]

The most rewarding approach?

Any PAR that I got on the centreline - and on occasions there weren't too many.:{

Thank god that is all behind me.

[MozYank]

5R MEX. Playing in the rocks only to break out and find that everything on the property has a frigging strobe or flasher.

[wizo]

Just SLF here, Trondheim in Norway looks quite interesting, anyone care to comment ?