AOLs take on scarry airports...

[dc4bs]

Some interesting descriptions and links to youtube videos here...

-dc4bs

[Chairborne]

The press is slowly and steadily losing all credibility with me, especially when you look on any Associated Press story and all you seem to see is "...who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the press" and other little caveats and provisos which the AP uses to pardon itself from liability, responsibility and morality simply because they want to boost lame conversation at the water cooler...and, of course, boost sales. Sometimes when I see what comes out of the AP in regards to 'facts' on a murder or other major crime they report, it's a wonder that said crime can find a truly partial jury to consider it when trial time arrives.

John Lawton said it well, back in 1995: "The Irony of the Information Age is that it has given new respectability to the uninformed opinion". My interpretation on that is that the notion of a lie being propagated as 'Gospel Truth' can now do so at an even greater breakneck speed than we once attributed to it.

[Kurtvw]

Reagan didn't belong on that list at all...

Just because the airspace is a mess is not the same thing as a tall rock in the way.

But some of the others were interesting. I liked Corchauvel. That was interesting.

[Chairborne]

Reagan didn't belong on that list at all...

Agreed. Reagan has a very unique landing approach on Runway 19 and takeoff departure on Runway 1, but I sure wouldn't call it 'dangerous'.

[weengo]

i was kinda expecting St Barths to be on the list

[Chairborne]

I was kinda expecting St. Barths to be on the list

Or Lukla...

[ReggieF5421]

Or Lukla...

It is.

The list is old and has been discussed many times on these and practically every other flight sim or aviation forum - and pretty much has nothing to do with the press. This is a travel magazine picking up a list from the aviation industry. But the qualifier is that a video must be handy of each airport, or it is off the list.

Things like the River Visual at KDCA or the Canarsie Visual at KJFK do require precision by the pilots. But no more or no less than the precision of landing at MHTG or LXGB. The thing I found interesting about this list is that all the approaches are visual. No ILS in the bunch.

To hear many people talk every landing by every commercial plane in the world is by ILS every day.

Heck, to hear people talk on this forum, it is not realistic to fly a big commercial plane with a FMS and not do an ILS landing.

Yeah, right.

[skylab]

For JFK [#9] they write about the Carnarsie Approach [Rwy 13L] but show a video of a landing on 4R. The 'Canasty' [as we always called it] wasn't all that bad unless the weather was at or near minimums.

They also list Kai Tak [#7] which has been closed for a number of years now.

The first one [1 of 16] shows a United 747 about to touch down but does not say where [probably JFK 4R].

I can think of some to add to the list right here in the USA. KCRW, KAVL, to name just two that I've flown in and out of. Runway 15 at Washington National was always fun too. Never been into Aspen, Colorado by plane, but that looks interesting as well. There's lots of 'pucker' runways around. All depends on what kind of airplane you're flying. We flew in and out of Kona, Hawaii with the Stretch DC-8s and there was just 5600 feet after the G/S touchdown mark. At max landing of 240 thou, the brakes tended to get a little warm!

[Chairborne]

ILS landings are surprisingly fewer than I expect the more I travel. Whenever I listen in on cockpit audio generously supplied by various airlines, more and more approaches and landings are being handled manually. My last trip to Baltimore (KBWI) in July arrived at just after midnight there and listening in revealed a surprise: some of the approaches were being handled ILS, while our flight was vectored in by visual. Weather was incredibly humid but not too hazy; the sky was otherwise clear. But it's enough to convince me that there's still an appreciable degree of 'manhandling' planes into airports so as to keep from lapsing into 'technology-induced laziness', even in circumstances where I could appreciate it if it seemed appropriate. Fair 'nuff.

[skylab]

Even though one is cleared for a visual approach, one can still fly the ILS. This is usually how it's done. You've always got the approach tuned and identified, even in VFR conditions.