Thursday 31 October 2013

23 Scariest Runways That Will Stoke Your Fear Of Flying

Barra Airport, in the Hebrides off the West Coast of Scotland. Yes, it is a beach for take-off and landing. At least it’s only for daytime flights.

Photo: calflier001

Water, water, Chubu Centrair International Airport, water, water.Tokoname, Japan.

Photo: Kyodo News/AP

Approaching the Congonhas Airport in the middle of Sao Paulo, Brazil is highly challenging for pilots.

Photo: Joao Carlos Medau

Another risky beach airport: the Copalis State Airport’s Grays Harbor County, Washington runway is located between the Copalis River delta and a barrier of rocks.

Photo: Alex Derr

The mountain runway at Courchevel Airport (France) is just 545m long. As if that’s not scary enough, it’s also got a gradient of 18.5% and a vertical drop at the end.

Photo: Peter Robinett

Gibraltar Airport is located between a bustling city and a crashtastic mountain. Moreover, its 1800m long short runway intersects the Winston Churchill Avenue, Gibraltar’s busiest road, which has to be closed every time a plane lands or departs.

Photo: kimhollingshead

This is the Gustaf III Airport aka Saint Barthélemy Airport on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy. The short airstrip starts with a slope and ends on the beach.

Photo: John M

Kai Tak International Airport, famous and hated for its heart-stopping approach low over Hong Kong, ended its 73-year reign of terror in 1998.

Photo: Vincent Yu/AP

Kansai International Airport, Osaka, Japan. Approaching this feels like your pilot is about to land on water.

Photo: mrhayata

Between mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, on the island cliffs, waits the frightening Madeira Airport (Portugal).

Photo: Thilo Hilberer

Look at the horrifying Matekane Air Strip in Lesotho (Africa). 400m, and then nothing.

Photo: Tom Claytor

Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland. Severe turbulences and winds from the surrounding fjords make this airport a hard task for pilots. Only daytime take-offs and landings allowed, thankfully.

Photo: Jim Stewart

Paro International Airport, the home of the Royal Bhutan Airlines, is located at an altitude of 2236m and surrounded by over 5000m-high-peaks of the Himalayas. Night or foggy landings are strictly prohibited.

Photo: Gelay Jamtsho

Pegasus White Ice Runway, Antarctica, the southernmost of three airfields serving McMurdo Station. Believe it or not, aircraft take off and land here all year long.

Photo: Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo/U.S. Air Force

Because of the short (2300m) runway at Princess Juliana International Airport (St. Maarten), large planes fly right over the tourists’ head on Maho Beach. It’s a spectacular sight from the ground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A densely populated neighbourhood, a cramped runway, active volcanoes, and frequent fog make Quito’s high-altitude airport a threat for only a little longer; Ecuador’s main airport is going to be moved to an agricultural setting 12 miles (20km) northeast of the city.

Photo: Dolores Ochoa/AP

Svalbard Airport in Longyearbyen on the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard in the Barents Sea was built upon a layer of permafrost in 1975. Continuous repaving makes it a hard landing place, literally and figuratively.

Photo: rune Petter Ness/AP

The Tenzing-Hillary Airport (Lukla, Nepal) is located 2860m above sea level, and its runway is only a few hundred meters long.

Photo: Alex Smith

Toncontín International Airport has an extremely short runway and a mountainous surrounding in Honduras.

Photo: Enrique Galeano Morales

Toronto Islands Airport Ontairo, Canada is another pinpoint landing site. And there’s a nude beach close to the runway, which I’m sure isn’t the least bit distracting.

Photo: John Steadman

Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, Saba. This Caribbean landing site is surrounded by high hills, and both ends of the runway drop into the sea.

Photo: Patrick Hawks

Wellington, New Zealand: short runway, hilly landscape, strong crosswinds, turbulent landings.

Photo: Phillip Capper

Williams Field, Antarctica, has two snow runways limited to ski-equipped aircraft during the summer season. aeroplanes land on 8m of compacted snow, lying on top of 80m of ice, floating over 550m of water. Must be a blood-chilling experience.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

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