The Most Hairy Approach ?
Guest
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Having flown in Nepal for several years, I have come to conculde that The approach at Kathmandu is no easy job. Whether be it at monsoon time ( when most of the time you can't see the runway if you do not bust the minimums, i.e. there is no way you will see the runway if you are at the MDA at missed approach point, you must descend to 4800 ft instead of the MDA 5120 ft. PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS....! For the flyers who have flown here for many years, their unofficial and unpublished MDA for VOR-DME runway 02 approach is between 4700-4800 ft.)
or be it pre or post monsoon there are always enough tensions due to steep approach, narrow valley, cross winds and enough CB's).
One fact, the most of the crashes in nepal has happened in and around Kathmandu, mostwhile on apprach and some during take off!! So, watch out and do not forget to be slightly high while on Vor-Dme approach for runway 02 specially between 10-6 Dme to kathmandu.
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or be it pre or post monsoon there are always enough tensions due to steep approach, narrow valley, cross winds and enough CB's).
One fact, the most of the crashes in nepal has happened in and around Kathmandu, mostwhile on apprach and some during take off!! So, watch out and do not forget to be slightly high while on Vor-Dme approach for runway 02 specially between 10-6 Dme to kathmandu.
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Guest
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Forgive an slf putting in his two penn'orth amongst the professionals but for an "interesting" approach try this:
in the mid 60s, Aden Airways (of glorious memory) had a weekly DC3 scheduled call at a place called something like Wadi Malayn on the old South Yemen/North Yemen border. As the Egyptian Army occupying North Yemen were happily shooting at anything that moved, the only way in was through a gorge in the mountains, with the edges only a few hundred feet off each wing tip. Very hot, very, very bumpy. I once went in with John Gross (?) ex BOAC who insisted both pilots had to hold the controls because of the kick back. Once through the gorge you had to do an immediate (now!) 90 left, drop like a stone, pick out a bit of less stony desert between the odd whitewased stone markers, and land downwind (usually blowing about 20 mph) with a thousand feet before you hit the mountainside. I still have my vintage 1966 8mm home movie (now on tape) of the procedure taken as I propped myself between the two pilots' seats (no jumpseats on those DC3s!). Sadly it's silent - oh for the heart warming rumble of a pair of P&Ws...
Another hairy downwinder was Dhala. Some of the DC3s were actually unconverted C47s (i.e. still with cargo doors).
Aden Airways won the Cunningham Trophy for seven years accident free (but sadly lost a DC3 in 1966 to a terrorist bomb, 32 killed including 2 of my guys).
in the mid 60s, Aden Airways (of glorious memory) had a weekly DC3 scheduled call at a place called something like Wadi Malayn on the old South Yemen/North Yemen border. As the Egyptian Army occupying North Yemen were happily shooting at anything that moved, the only way in was through a gorge in the mountains, with the edges only a few hundred feet off each wing tip. Very hot, very, very bumpy. I once went in with John Gross (?) ex BOAC who insisted both pilots had to hold the controls because of the kick back. Once through the gorge you had to do an immediate (now!) 90 left, drop like a stone, pick out a bit of less stony desert between the odd whitewased stone markers, and land downwind (usually blowing about 20 mph) with a thousand feet before you hit the mountainside. I still have my vintage 1966 8mm home movie (now on tape) of the procedure taken as I propped myself between the two pilots' seats (no jumpseats on those DC3s!). Sadly it's silent - oh for the heart warming rumble of a pair of P&Ws...
Another hairy downwinder was Dhala. Some of the DC3s were actually unconverted C47s (i.e. still with cargo doors).
Aden Airways won the Cunningham Trophy for seven years accident free (but sadly lost a DC3 in 1966 to a terrorist bomb, 32 killed including 2 of my guys).
Guest
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Petergozinya: Are you sure Avon Airpark is still there? On frequent bus transits between Vail and Beaver Creek I've looked at what appears to be an abandoned airfield just East of Avon i.e. no aircraft on it. I've been passenger (AA 757) into Eagle a couple of times and that is quite interesting too....
Guest
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Not the least bit hairy, and nothing special to you professionals, but the most spectacular approach view I've had recently is into Meigs Field, Chicago.
Not as exciting as O'Hare - but Meigs controllers don't ask if you can "Land and Hold Short" - not in a C172 anyway!
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Not as exciting as O'Hare - but Meigs controllers don't ask if you can "Land and Hold Short" - not in a C172 anyway!
Guest
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Ok, lets talk about GITMO naval air base in Cuba, the folks that have landed large jet airplanes there know what I am talking about.
Land to the east. DO NOT FLY OVER THE FENCE/ STORBE LIGHT (at night) BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SHOT AT.
Never was shot at, but a DC-8 did crash there one night right after I landed. They were trying not to fly into Cuban airspace. Cargo flight and the crew did live.
But they have a great "O" club.
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 30 October 2000).]
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 30 October 2000).]
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 30 October 2000).]
Land to the east. DO NOT FLY OVER THE FENCE/ STORBE LIGHT (at night) BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SHOT AT.
Never was shot at, but a DC-8 did crash there one night right after I landed. They were trying not to fly into Cuban airspace. Cargo flight and the crew did live.
But they have a great "O" club.
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 30 October 2000).]
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 30 October 2000).]
[This message has been edited by con-pilot (edited 30 October 2000).]
Guest
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Con Pilot,
Don’t know if it was the same crash, but I saw a 60 minutes (US TV Show) interview a DC8 Captain regarding crew fatigue. He had crashed a DC8 on approach to Cuba, he blamed crew fatigue rather than the need to avoid Cuban airspace.
Mutt
(PS, I got duff gen regarding F900 training in CA, the guy did a Gulfstream rating.)
Don’t know if it was the same crash, but I saw a 60 minutes (US TV Show) interview a DC8 Captain regarding crew fatigue. He had crashed a DC8 on approach to Cuba, he blamed crew fatigue rather than the need to avoid Cuban airspace.
Mutt
(PS, I got duff gen regarding F900 training in CA, the guy did a Gulfstream rating.)
Guest
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Yeah, The approach into GITMO is a circling, but you have to stay within 3/4 mile of the RWY edge. Fidel WILL shoot at you. Used to fly out of there, once had the opportunity to see an old AN-2 defect right in front of me. Luckily had a camera. Still have a few pics. Family of 11 managed it out. Caused a lot of commotion though.
Guest
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Hé, Royan.
Landed on 17 only once. Was a nice clear day so the visual circuit to 17 after the approach on 35 was not a problem. It is fun and interesting though, with that sloping terrain being pretty close on base and final. The main thing is getting the speed way back early in the descent so you can sink nicely into the bowl the city and airport are in. The Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport is at 9226 ft with 15900 ft terrain (Pichincha Vulcano) within 5 miles and the 19400 ft Cotopaxi Vulcano within 40 miles. Last year the ILS signal was fluctuating too much (GS mainly) so we weren't allowed to couple it to the autopilot, nowadays it's much better and we can. The ILS G/P antenna is further down the runway (830 meters), so at 9.8/QIT you have to abandon the 3.2° Flight Path Angle and push down -4° to pick up the PAPI glide path. If you do circle for Rwy 17 it takes you around a 9820 ft 'hill' which may obscure your vision to the Rwy. The sloping terrain and downsloping Rwy (0.43) give you a sense of being way too low. But you got to trust the numbers. O, and the equipment is a MD-11.
Now, tell me why you are interested.
Ciao.
Landed on 17 only once. Was a nice clear day so the visual circuit to 17 after the approach on 35 was not a problem. It is fun and interesting though, with that sloping terrain being pretty close on base and final. The main thing is getting the speed way back early in the descent so you can sink nicely into the bowl the city and airport are in. The Quito Mariscal Sucre Airport is at 9226 ft with 15900 ft terrain (Pichincha Vulcano) within 5 miles and the 19400 ft Cotopaxi Vulcano within 40 miles. Last year the ILS signal was fluctuating too much (GS mainly) so we weren't allowed to couple it to the autopilot, nowadays it's much better and we can. The ILS G/P antenna is further down the runway (830 meters), so at 9.8/QIT you have to abandon the 3.2° Flight Path Angle and push down -4° to pick up the PAPI glide path. If you do circle for Rwy 17 it takes you around a 9820 ft 'hill' which may obscure your vision to the Rwy. The sloping terrain and downsloping Rwy (0.43) give you a sense of being way too low. But you got to trust the numbers. O, and the equipment is a MD-11.
Now, tell me why you are interested.
Ciao.
Guest
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Have to nominate two.. Old Funchal was always interesting, especially with northern winds blowing.. Very turbulent.. And my all time favourite, Feydzabad in Afghanistan. Trigger-happy afghans sitting on the mountain ridges surrounding the old soviet built metal! runway which accually is designated rwy 17/36 due to a 13 degree turn approx. 1/3:rd in to the runway length..
Guest
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Must be Gibraltar R/W 09 in min vis for the approach with a wind from the SE giving decreased performance shear (tailwind) over the threshold and then trying to stop on a wet runway.
[This message has been edited by DABHAND (edited 02 November 2000).]
[This message has been edited by DABHAND (edited 02 November 2000).]