Easter Island Airport

[bmaviscount]

Does anyone know the predominant approach pattern and runway in use at IPC
Is it trie the runway is in an incline and they always land uphill onRunway 10?

[Bealzebub]

SCIP (IPC) airport has an ILS approach on runway 10 as well as RNAV, VOR, and NDB approaches onto runways 10 and 28. I have flown in there 3 times and runway 10 was in use on all of those ocaissions. can't remember the runway incline (if there was any) but It certainly didn't preclude landing on either runway. The passengers I flew there were part of an "around the world" excursion and had paid a lot of money for the experience. We flew them around the island at 1500 feet for a birds eye view of the place and the moai. The runway is ( from memory) nearly 11,000 ft.

[bmaviscount]

Sounds a great trip!
So did you depart on Runway 10 too?
Was reading an historical article when the 707s used to apparently make use of the incline!

[Bealzebub]

Yes I think all of the departures were from 10, but that would have been due to the prevailing wind on the day. Looking at the threshold elevations there is a variation of around 100 ft, but on a nearly 11,000 ft runway that is slope of less than 1% which is fairly irrelevant for the most part. The runway has likely been extended over the years, (it was used as a shuttle abort option in the past I beleive.) so historically there may have been some preference for one direction over the other?

I used to fly the 707 (although not to IPC) and on shorter runways it may well have been more of an issue, it certainly isn't these days.

[STN Ramp Rat]

I believe the island has a runway occupancy rule which heavily restricts the movements. IIRC the you cant go beyond the PNR until the previous aircraft has landed and cleared the runway.

[Bealzebub]

Yes, that certainly was the case and I am sure still is. Having said that there was rarely more than a couple of arrivals a day. Lan Chile used to fly in three times a week. I think it is now LATAM with daily service from Santiago. I think there are a couple of other sporadic services from Papeete Tahiti and Lima.

[Harry Wayfarers]

In a previous life I worked for a DC8-62F operator approached to transport fish from Easter Island, across and up the Pacific, with some 3 fuel stops in between, to Japan!

Just trying to find suitable length runways a reasonable distance apart to allow a good payload proved a challenge in itself, the length, gradient nor direction of Easter's runway ever came in to the equation!