Comments on: Top 3 Scariest Airports in the Caribbean

By: Fred

Fred — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:03:31 +0000

Seconded on Lukla / Google Earth, now the only runway with landing markings at one end only because the other end is a mountain. A go-round there’d be like 633 Squadron! And that doesn’t mention the 700m drop at the other end.

By: gjclark

gjclark — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 21:48:43 +0000

Lukla – in Nepal is the very scary airport and is certainly deserving to be among any 5 scariest you could name. You land going uphill and take off going downhill!

By: Alan

Alan — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 08:55:35 +0000

This small strip of gravel is indeed the Grise Fiord airport. It is actually flat, although the terrain implementation in Google Earth gives it a hump at one end.

I fly into Grise Fiord all the time in Google Earth Flight Simulator, using a joystick for the ultimate flight sim experience. Sometimes I come through the mountain path at he other end of the strip (I have flown through that way in a Twin Otter - as a passenger - when the winds were absolutely the wrong way).

GE Flight Sim with a joystick controller is an absolute delight. I have been flying into some of the Caribbean airports mentioned in this blog and some would be truly terrifying in real time . . .

By: Dave Evans

Dave Evans — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:27:10 +0000

Try Union Island or Carriacou. Union is similar to St Barths with a long corkscrew landing necessary. Watch out for cows on the runway in Carriacou.

By: Alex Turnbull

Alex Turnbull — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:47:44 +0000

@qka – I clicked through from your first video to watch another from Kai Tak where the pilot does a pretty incredible recovery after overshooting the runway during a crosswinds landing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtnL4KYVtDE

Amazing flying!

By: Alex Turnbull

Alex Turnbull — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:39:48 +0000

Here’s Los Roques, but sadly the imagery is too low-resolution to find the airstrip.

View Placemark / Google Earth

By: Alex Turnbull

Alex Turnbull — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:35:52 +0000

Alan, do you mean this only vaguely flat-ish strip of gravel?

Incredible - and terrifying!

EDIT: I've edited your post to include the link.

By: Tammo

Tammo — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:04:31 +0000

Just to be clear: Those are the Aran Islands. Arran is an island off the coast of Scotland.

By: Fred

Fred — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:33:48 +0000

The worrying thing about Arran is how short it is – it’s only about 6 feet above high tide, too. They fly Britten Norman Isalnders in there, get to about a thousand feet on the mile or so from the mainland. The unloading step’s a soft drinks crate…

By: RobK

RobK — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:03:11 +0000

Also in the Alps, the approach to Innsbruck is not exactly hairy, but pretty interesting, as you do fly along the valley and then do a full 180-degree turn to land (or at least we did when I went through there last year). You’re well below the tops of the mountains as you do so and can look out of the windows at ski lifts and skiers going past…

View Placemark / Google Earth