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Old 20th Dec 2010, 21:31
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SNS3Guppy
 
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Make sure you've got a second plan then. If you were flying it and the airplane lands without you, you may have much bigger problems than the landing or the question of whether to stay.

I've flown into Baghdad commercially as a passenger and as a PIC, as well as operated in and out on repositioning flights around the country, without incident. None the less, one does need to bear in mind that it's not Berlin or Paris, and it's not a safe place by any stretch of the imagination.

Landing at Baghdad is largely a non-event. I've been passing through Baghdad's airspace when traffic was sent to hold because of mortar damage to the runway (per ATC; I didn't see the damage, but it's what we were told on the radio). If you're concerned about getting shot while landing, however, I wouldn't worry too much. There aren't any unusual procedures for landing there. No steep dives, no blacked out arrivals, no tactical approaches. It's a normal, vectored ILS.

There are other places around the country, including arrivals to places "up north," where this isn't necessarily the case, and one should be particularly vigilant.

Bear in mind that with changing balances of power presently and over the next year, the hazards may elevate significantly. Iraq is a troubled place with a number of parties of interest who are quite willing to use force and violence to accomplish their individual aims.
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