Challenging Approaches/Airports

oktex88

Well-Known Member
I just thought it would be interesting hear or talk about the most interesting or challenging approaches you guys/gals have flown. Maybe some airports with some wierd IAPs.
 
The chinese have some fun stuff

Shanghi (ZSPD) has some fun approaches. Consider the one we regularly use: http://flight.sanyjo.cz/mapy/China/ZSPD.pdf Plate 20-2A then you go into 21-2

there's much crazier stuff that involves mixing NDBs and VORs and ILSs. Of course for people that have fancy GPSs and what-not it's not all that impressive. Those of us that fly steam get the full-meal deal. Oh, we have no standby freqs on our NAV radios. And the Chinese don't like to vector....
 
While this is not an approach, Ranger Creek (21W) is the coolest, most challenging VFR airport I have been to. The runway is 2800x30ft in the Cascade Mountains, right by Mount Rainier. You have to circle down between the mountains to get to the pattern. Very fun.

e9dt3k.jpg


w2bvye.jpg
 
While this is not an approach, Ranger Creek (21W) is the coolest, most challenging VFR airport I have been to. The runway is 2800x30ft in the Cascade Mountains, right by Mount Rainier. You have to circle down between the mountains to get to the pattern. Very fun.

That looks like so much fun!
 
While this is not an approach, Ranger Creek (21W) is the coolest, most challenging VFR airport I have been to. The runway is 2800x30ft in the Cascade Mountains, right by Mount Rainier. You have to circle down between the mountains to get to the pattern. Very fun.

e9dt3k.jpg


w2bvye.jpg

30' wide... Wow! Looks like it would be quite the ride.
 
30' wide... Wow! Looks like it would be quite the ride.

How about Nanwalek, AK? http://www.airnav.com/airport/KEB

RY 19 APCH RSTRD BY VILLAGE ON HILLSIDE. RY 01 APCH RSTRD BY ABRUPT MOUNTAIN FACE .21 NM OFF RY END.

moz-screenshot-2.jpg
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Homer%20Air/Cessna%20U206F%20Stationair%20II/0426789/L/&width=1280&height=972&sok=WHERE__%28country_%3D_%27USA_-_Alaska%27%29_&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&photo_nr=15&prev_id=0431298&next_id=NEXTID

I don't think a go around is likely!!!
 
The LOC DME E approach into Aspen is a good one, especially when you circle for rwy 33 in a snow storm. LDA DME RWY 25 into Eagle is another good one. Crazy watching American take 757's into there. But my all time favorite would have to be the LOC DME 9 approach into Telluride. The approach itself really isn't all that challenging, but the airports location is the fun part.
 
Aspen... That airport can be suck a pain to get into.

Ketchikan Alaska was easy, but freaky because you are so close to the mountain. I'm sure the Alaska pilots here have some interesting places they've gone into.
 
Aspen... That airport can be suck a pain to get into.

Ketchikan Alaska was easy, but freaky because you are so close to the mountain. I'm sure the Alaska pilots here have some interesting places they've gone into.

Lake marie lodge is kinda crazy, you've got about 1200x15 or so.

Port Lyons Kodiak is kinda cool too.

As for instrument approaches, I think Juneau is about the coolest there is. The LDA Z is the one to use if anyone has a copy of the plate
 
Here the LOC DME West for Innsbruck Austria, (I haven't flown it)

When you get down to MDA, you have to look 3 miles BEHIND you to get the visual for the airport. The turn you have to make to get the visual has a maximum radius of 1700 meters (0.9nm according to the Jepp version of the plate) so that you don't hit the mountains to the south of the airport. This is one of the few charts I've seen (there are probably a lot more out there) where the ceiling and the visibility is required to shoot the approach, rather than just the visibility.
 

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Though I've never flown any of them myself, Norway is notorious for some odd, dangerous and interesting approaches. Given the terrain, the best places to put airports are often in fjords, or other odd places.

ENHV - Honningsvåg/Valan isn't so much dangerous as ridiculous:
http://www.ippc.no/norway_aip/current/AIP/AD/ENHV/EN_AD_2_ENHV_5-1_en.pdf

The plate is generally confusing, but is somewhat simple if you know what's going on. Basically, you pick up the NDB and fly the appropriate pattern, based on the approach fix. Fly outbound to 8, turn in to VALUX and head in on the LDA. Once you're at 2, you're supposed to have picked up the approach lighting, which happens to be curved for the approach to 26. The approach into 08 isn't as well lit.
(http://www.ippc.no/norway_aip/current/AIP/AD/ENHV/EN_AD_2_ENHV_2-1_en.pdf)
 
I probably should know this one, but what's the difference between the LDA Z and LDA X?
Wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Localizer_Type_Directional_Aid) said something about be developed, but not sure the difference between X Y and Z.

Here's the LDA X at PAJN. Looks cool!

http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0807/01191LDAX8.PDF

Innsbruck sounds crazy, must be something else in a blinding snowstorm.

The Zulu approach into juneau is just another variation on a theme, the x-ray doesn't get you down very low, whereas the LDA Z gets you down to about 1000'
 
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