Airports. Takeoff course or operational runway

Are you afraid to fly? Psychologists consider the fear of flying to be one of the most difficult psychological problems: some shudder even at the thought of getting on a plane and leaving the ground. Sometimes this fear becomes a serious obstacle for such people to move freely around the world and see many wonderful distant countries. According to some studies, fear of flying is worse when it comes to safety issues, including at the airport.

In this issue we will tell you about the 25 most terrible airports in the world, where horror begins long before you board the plane.

1. Wellington International Airport, New Zealand.

Landing at this airport can be very dangerous, because there is only one - and even a short - runway, which also ends... at sea. Despite this, it is very picturesque here, so this airport can be called not only one of the most dangerous, but also one of the most beautiful.

2. Agatti Airport, Lakshadweep, India.

This airport is surrounded on all sides by the Indian Ocean, which naturally raises the question: what happens if something goes wrong during landing or the pilot simply does not have enough room to brake? The 1,219 m long airfield is so small that it looks like a fragment of a larger runway, part of which seems to have gone under the sea. Due to the dangers that short runways pose, it has been proposed more than once to extend it, but for now flights continue as normal, because... it is the only airport in Lakshadweep, an Indian territory consisting of 36 luxurious exotic islands.

3. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, USA.

Of course, this is not as “dangerous” an airport (compared to others on this list), but it does have something unusual about it. If you ever take a taxi along Runway 10 at this airport, you might see some spooky things. The fact is that on strip 10 there are a couple of... graves engraved. They belong to the former owners of the land where the airport now sits - their last wish was to be buried here.

4. Narsarsuaq Airport, Greenland.

Landing at this naturally beautiful airport and one of the most remote on the planet can be either an amazing or a terrifying experience - either way, an unforgettable one. But for pilots this is, without a doubt, a real nightmare, because... in order to land here, you need to fly along the fjord in constant fear of getting into turbulence, which happens even on seemingly calm days.

5. Kansai International Airport, Japan.

The artificial island of Kansai measures 4 km long and 2.5 km wide - they say it is even visible from space. From an engineering point of view, the local airport is one of the most impressive in the world, but unfortunately, frequent earthquakes, powerful cyclones and an unstable seabed make this engineering masterpiece one of the most dangerous airports in the world.

6. Don Mueang International Airport, Thailand.

This is a “deceptive” airport, in which at first glance there is nothing unusual. However, if you look closely, you will notice a rather strange thing: right in the center of the two runways, someone managed to squeeze in... an 18-hole golf course. This makes this airport not only one of the most dangerous, but also one of the strangest.

7. Paro Airport, Bhutan.

The fact that only 8 pilots in the entire world are qualified enough to land here should tell you a lot. But if this is not enough, you will probably also be interested in the fact that Paro Airport is located 2.4 km above sea level and is surrounded by sharp peaks of five thousand meters, and the runway is only 1980 m long. And finally, there are rumors that passengers who dare to land at this tiny airport in the Himalayas are usually loaded with anti-anxiety pills to calm their nerves.

8. Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong.

Many pilots considered this place to be the worst airport, which is why it was closed in 1998. Strong crosswinds and the surrounding mountains only added to the difficulty of landing, and at one time it was the most unpopular place for local residents. It’s not for nothing that this airport is called “the father of all the worst airports.”

9. Barra International Airport, Scotland.

This is truly a unique airport on the planet, because instead of a runway it uses... a beach. Yes, you read it correctly: there are three runways on the beach in the shape of a triangle, and they are marked with wooden poles at the ends.

10. Congonhas Airport, Brazil.

The most dangerous and at the same time strange thing about this airport is the fact that it is located only 8 km from the city center. If you're a frequent traveler, you'll know that the most populous and largest cities in the world usually build their airports on the outskirts or even a few kilometers from the city limits for security reasons, but apparently the residents of Sao Paulo have never heard of this. As a result, every plane landing at this airport becomes a real test in terms of safety.

11. Gisborne Airport, New Zealand.

This may sound like an exaggeration, but this is probably one of the craziest airports in the world. Why? Yes, because there is a railway running right across the main runway. Yes, yes - a real railway! Dispatchers must coordinate takeoffs and landings with train arrivals. And even though the road recently closed after hurricane damage, the airport is still operating, although it has only served cargo flights since 2001.

12. Tenzing and Hilary Airport, Nepal.

In 2010, the History Channel named this airport the most dangerous in the world. It is located at an altitude of 2900 meters, and its runway is framed by a high mountain on one side and a deep abyss on the other. Ideal conditions for landing, right?

13. Los Angeles International Airport, USA.

Los Angeles airport has been repeatedly called the most dangerous in the United States. It provides an "intensive training program" for pilots, controllers and vehicle operators on situational hazards and other aspects of runway safety.

14. Courchevel Airport, France.

It is one of the most dangerous airports in the world, even though it caters to the wealthy who fly to ski in the French Alps. To get to the resort of the same name, you must first experience a breathtaking landing at the airport. The runway is only 518 m long, but the best “surprise” is a hill somewhere in the middle of the runway.

15. Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Ecuador.

It was a nightmare for even the most experienced pilots. For starters, the airport was located at a high altitude, in the heart of Ecuador's densely populated capital, which greatly increased the risk factor. Moreover, the mountainous terrain, active volcanoes and the valley, which was constantly covered in fog, only made landings and takeoffs at this airport more difficult. But that's not all: the runway was uneven and had many bumps. Fortunately, the airport was finally closed last year and a new one was built.

16. Toncotin International Airport, Honduras.

It came in second on the History Channel's list of the world's most dangerous airports, and for good reason. Its runway is located in a valley surrounded by mountains, and the “entry” and “exit” for aircraft are located in the same place, which, of course, increases the risk of a tragedy. Surprisingly, despite this, even Boeing 757s land in and take off from this airport every day.

17. Gibraltar Airport.

At first glance it may seem that the airport is quite ordinary, but take a closer look and you will understand that this is not so. Undoubtedly, the most exceptional fact is that the main runway passes through the main street of the city. Yes Yes. That is, every time a plane is supposed to land, cars have to stop and let the train pass... that is, we wanted to say plane, of course.

18. Madeira Airport, Portugal.

This small international airport on the beautiful island of Madeira has a very short runway. And this despite the fact that in 2003 its length was doubled. In addition, the ocean surrounds it on one side and the mountains on the other. The airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.

To land at one of the Caribbean's busiest airports, pilots fly over the beach, over a fence, over the road and then finally land.

20. Ice airport, Antarctica.

It is one of three main runways used to transport supplies and researchers to McMurdo Station in Antarctica. It is designed to fit even Boeing 757 and heavy cargo aircraft. At the moment, the main dangers of an airport are weather conditions, not the location of the airport itself.

21. King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia.

It is the largest airport in the world in terms of land area - it stretches over 300 square meters. miles of desert. The local airport is so huge that - believe it or not - the pilots themselves sometimes find it difficult to say where it begins and where it ends, because... from a great distance it blends into the surrounding desert.

22. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, USA.

There is nothing technically wrong with the location or layout of this airport, but it has the most irresponsible staff in the world. A night air traffic controller was once accused of watching a movie instead of directing planes. And on other occasions, administrators complained that night shift dispatchers slept during breaks or played electronic games when the flight schedule was not too tight.

23. Gastaf III Airport, St. Barthelemy.

This airport has an incredibly short runway that typically serves small aircraft with a capacity of no more than 20 passengers. There is a strip at the base of the slope that ends at the beach. In addition, planes pose a danger already on approach due to the hilly terrain, and takeoff generally takes place almost over the heads of vacationers on the beach.

24. Bamda Airport, Tibet.

Tibet is located in the highest mountains in the world - the Himalayas, so it is not surprising that Bamda Airport is one of the highest in the world, at an altitude of over 4000 meters. The most interesting thing is that the length of the runway is almost 5 km, i.e. it is the longest runway in the world. Low oxygen levels at such altitudes can cause discomfort for newcomers to the area and also reduce the performance of aircraft engines, making landing here a real challenge.

25. Airport on Saba Island.

The journey to this beautiful Caribbean island can be a nightmare for you, because... The airport has a single runway, 396 meters long. Surrounded by high cliffs, this short runway (which would probably make a great location for a skateboarding competition) almost ends in the ocean. It is clear that large planes simply will not be able to land here, but this is not easy even for corn farmers.

Designation and dimensions

Runway separation

The runways have marked number usually according to the magnetic course on which they are located. In North America, runways are often numbered according to true heading. The heading value is rounded to the nearest ten and divided by 10. The zero heading is replaced by a 360° heading. For example, at the Novosibirsk Tolmachevo airport, runway 1 has a magnetic heading of 72°, its designation is Runway 07. Any stripe is “directed” simultaneously in two directions, the difference between which is 180°. Therefore, the opposite course is 252°. Thus, the first page in Tolmachevo will have the designation Runway 07/25.

Often at airports with two or more runways, they are located in parallel - that is, on the same course. In such cases, a letter is added to the numerical designation - L (left), C (central) and R (right). For example, at Chicago Midway Airport, three runways are located on the same course - 136°/316°. Accordingly, they have the following designations: Runway 13L/31R, Runway 13C/31C and Runway 13R/31L. However, at Paris De Gaulle Airport, all 4 runways have the same heading, and are designated 8L/8R/9L/9R to avoid confusion.

In radio exchanges between pilots and air traffic controllers, the runways are called, for example, “Runway zero two” or “Runway one three center.”

The sizes of runways can be very different, from very small - 300 m long and 10 m wide, to huge ones - 5.5 km long (Banda) and 80 meters wide. The smallest ones are used for light and ultra-light (USL) aviation. For example, for a hang-glider (motorized hang glider), a run of 100 m during takeoff and the same amount for landing are sufficient. The largest runways are built at large international airports and aircraft factories.

Runway lighting

The main task of runway lighting equipment is to ensure the safe landing and takeoff of aircraft in the dark and at twilight, as well as in conditions of limited visibility.

File:Razmesheniye ogney VPP systemy OVI 2

Layout of lighting signals

Runway lighting (HVI - high intensity lights) is a strip of light, most often white - strobes - 500-700 meters long. When approaching a landing, the pilot uses strobes to visually monitor the aircraft's position relative to the runway heading. The threshold (end) of the strip is indicated by an almost continuous line of green lights located perpendicular to the strip of strobes. The centerline of the strip itself is also indicated by white lights. The edges of the runway are yellow. Airfield lighting equipment can be divided into groups of lights, arranged in a certain sequence and easily distinguishable when the pilot makes visual contact with the ground.

Signal light groups:

1. Constant and pulsed approach lights installed along the continuation line of the runway axis. They are intended to indicate to the pilot the direction to the runway axis and are used to mark the area between the BPRM (see. Marker beacon ) and the beginning of the runway. Although pulsed approach lights are recommended in all JVI systems, practice shows that their use is only advisable during the day in fog, when there is no glare. The approach lights emit white light.
2. Lights of light horizons are located perpendicular to the continuation line of the runway axis, creating an artificial horizon. Light horizons provide information to the pilot about the lateral roll of the aircraft in relation to the runway surface. The lights of the light horizons emit white light.
3. Entrance lights installed at the runway threshold. They are designed to indicate the beginning of the runway (its end) and emit a green light.
4. Landing sign lights installed at a distance of 150-300 m from the runway threshold perpendicular to the runway axis in the form of a small light horizon outside the runway. The landing sign lights emit white light.
5. Boundary lights indicate the end of the runway and emit a red light.
6. Landing zone lights serve to mark the landing zone on the runway to facilitate landing in poor visibility conditions. The lights are installed in two rows parallel to the runway axis in a section of 900 m from the runway threshold. They emit white light.
7. Side lights KPB and the landing zone lights, located in one row, form a light corridor along which the pilot can easily determine the correct exit to the runway axis.
8. Glide lights are intended to indicate a visual glide path. The type, number and arrangement of glide path lights are determined by the aerodrome design brief. There are several standard layouts for glide path lights. For example, one of the standard schemes for visually indicating the planning glide path includes 12 glide path lights located according to the following scheme: two pairs of flank horizons (near and far) with three lights in each horizon. The near horizon is located at a distance of 150 m from the runway threshold, the far horizon is located at a distance of 210 m from the near one. Each glide path light emits white light at the top and red light at the bottom. The angles of distribution of light beams and the installation of glide path lights must be such that the pilot sees during landing:
   • all glide path lights are red when the aircraft is below the normal glide path and all lights are white when the aircraft is above the normal glide path;
   • the lights of the near horizon are white, and the lights of the far horizon are red when the aircraft is on a normal glide path.
9. Landing lights placed on both sides along the runway and mark the lateral longitudinal sides of the runway. Landing lights mark 600-meter sections at the ends of the runway. In these areas, the landing lights emit a yellow light, in the rest - white.
10. Lane end lights (LWL)- axial, central row and side - installed only in the OVI-P, OVI-P1 light-signal systems before the start of the runway on a section 300 m long. They are designed to indicate the direction to the runway axis, give information to the pilot about the width of the landing zone, the moment the leveling begins. The axial and central lights of the PSC emit white light, and the side lights of the PSC emit red light.
11. Axle lights Runways are designed to indicate to the pilot the longitudinal axis of the runway when landing and taking off the aircraft. To code sections of the runway, center line lights mounted on the last 300 m of the runway for each landing direction emit a red light in the direction of the aircraft moving along the runway. In the area 900-300 m from the end of the runway, the center line lights emit red and white light alternately, and in the remaining area to the runway threshold - white. Centerline lights are used when operating aircraft at high landing speeds, as well as when the runway width is more than 50 m.
12. Quick exit lights from the runway are located on high-speed exit taxiways and are designed for taxiing at high speed (60 km/h or more) when leaving the runway in order to increase the runway capacity. The lights emit green light. Runway exit lights are installed on exit taxiways that have a large angle of curvature. They are intended for use when leaving the runway. The lights also emit green light. Runway exit lights and rapid exit lights must be screened so that they are visible only in a given direction.
13. Side and centerline taxi lights serve respectively to indicate the longitudinal boundaries and center line of taxiways. Side taxi lights emit blue light, while centerline lights emit green light.
14. Stop lights are designed to prohibit the movement of aircraft at taxiway intersections, where taxiways adjoin the runway, or at taxi-holding positions. They complement traffic lights or replace daytime marking signs with high-intensity lights in poor visibility conditions. The brake lights are unidirectional and emit a red light.
15. Warning lights are designed to warn the pilot of a nearby taxiway intersection. The lights are installed in the form of a light horizon perpendicular to the taxiway axis. They emit yellow light.
16. Obstruction lights are designed to lightly indicate obstacles in the area of ​​the aerodrome, emit a red light and must be installed in accordance with the “Manual on the Aerodrome Civil Aviation Service”.
17. Airport light signs make it easier for the crew to navigate the airfield when taxiing, as well as when the aircraft is moving around the airfield. There are two types of lights - controllable and uncontrollable. Controlled ones include traffic lights and arrow signs. Traffic lights prohibiting traffic should emit red light, permitting ones should emit green, and arrows (light indicators of the direction of movement) should emit yellow light. The color design of uncontrolled light signal signs is determined by their purpose. On the working field of a rectangular sign, as a rule, there is only one symbol in the form of a letter, number or arrow. The shapes and sizes of the symbols comply with ICAO recommendations.

Runway markings

Marking is necessary primarily for the most accurate and, therefore, safe landing of the aircraft on the runway. The runway markings are very different from what we are used to seeing on roads.

From left to right:

• End safety strip, KPB(yellow chevrons). Designed to protect the earth's surface from being blown by powerful jets of jet engine exhaust (so as not to destroy the surface, not raise dust, etc.), as well as for cases of overrunning the runway. Aircraft are prohibited from being on the landing stage because its surface is not designed to support their weight.
• Moved threshold(or offset end, white arrows) - a runway area where taxiing, takeoff and run of aircraft are permitted, but not landing.
• Threshold(or end, white zebra stripes) - the beginning of the runway, indicates the beginning of the place where you can land. The threshold is made this way in order to be visible from afar. The number of lines depends on the width of the runway.
• Marked number and, if necessary, a letter (L/L - left, P/R - right C/S - central)
• Landing zone(double parallel rectangles, starting 300 m from the runway threshold).
• Fixed distance markers(large rectangles, located every 150 m). During an ideal landing, the pilot “holds” the landing zone with his eyes, and the touch occurs directly in the landing zone.

A necessary marking attribute is also the center line and sometimes the side lines.

Active (working) band

Active band (working band)- is a runway used for takeoffs and (or) landings of aircraft at a given time.

The main factor in choosing a runway for landing or takeoff is wind direction. From the laws of aerodynamics it follows that an airplane is not able to land or take off with a noticeable tailwind. Ideal conditions (better than absolute calm!) are takeoff/landing against the wind. But the wind does not always blow in exactly the opposite direction to the plane's movement. Therefore, when performing takeoff and landing procedures, a course is selected that is most different from the wind direction. Roughly speaking, the closer to the position “against the wind”, the better.

At airports with one or more parallel runways, pilots often have to land aircraft with crosswinds of up to 90°. But at large airports, the stripes are often located at an angle to each other. For example, at the San Francisco airport there are 4 runways - one pair of runways parallel to each other is almost perpendicularly intersected by another pair of parallel runways. At Las Vegas Airport, which also has 4 runways, the angle between 2 pairs of parallel runways is 60°. And at the largest airport in Chicago - O'Hare - there are 6 runways in three different directions. This runway configuration often makes life easier for pilots and controllers. But this also has its drawbacks - the very fact of crossing lanes already carries a certain danger.

At airports with two or more runways, it is common practice to use one runway for takeoff and the other for landing. So, in Moscow Sheremetyevo, runway 07R/25L is used mainly only for takeoff, and 07L/25R for landing. However, due to the proximity of the stripes, these operations are not allowed to be carried out simultaneously (one of the conditions for permission to jointly operate parallel runways is that the distance between the stripes must be more than 1.5-2 km).

The longest runways in the world

Notes

see also

Links

• Order of Rosaeronavigatsiya dated November 28, 2007 No. 119 “On approval of the Federal Aviation Rules “Placement of markings and devices on buildings, structures, communication lines, power lines, radio equipment and other objects installed to ensure the safety of aircraft flights””
• Operation manual for civil airfields of the Russian Federation (REGA RF-94.) Part 1.
• Operation manual for civil airfields of the Russian Federation (REGA RF-94.) Part 2.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

See what “Runway” is in other dictionaries:

See Art. Aerodrome. Encyclopedia "Technology". M.: Rosman. 2006. Runway (RW) part of the airfield, included as a working area ... Encyclopedia of technology

runway strip Encyclopedia "Aviation"

runway strip- Airstrip. runway (RW) part of the airfield, included as a working area in the airstrip (see figure), the runway is a specially prepared and equipped strip of ground... ... Encyclopedia "Aviation"

Getting into a turbulence zone is an unpleasant thing and is fraught with injury; a striking example of this was the May Day incident with the Aeroflot flight to Bangkok. But in modern travel across the sky there is something more dangerous than just an air pocket - takeoff and landing.

For various reasons, in different countries of the world, airports and runways have to be built in places where the conditions for this, to put it mildly, are not the best. So it turns out that the runway is only 400 m, then only 12 pilots are allowed to fly to this point in the world... And these are not blockbusters about a valiant crew or an intelligence agent - this is real life!

TOP 10 airports in the world with the most dangerous runways.
BARRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BRR

Isle of Barra, Scotland

Barra Airport is located on the island of the same name, which is part of the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles). The uniqueness of the airport is that it has the only sandy runways in the world. Barra only works during low tides.

Flights from the airport operate during the day, but in emergency situations, planes can land here at night - in this case, the runway is illuminated by car headlights, and special reflective tapes are laid along the shore.

Barra has three runways (799, 680, 846 m), they are located at different angles, so the controller can always direct the plane to a runway where it will not be threatened by crosswinds - a luxury not available in 99% of the world's airports!

The island airport annually serves about 1.5 thousand small aviation flights (no other flights are accepted here, despite the status of an international airport), about 10 thousand passengers pass through it per year.

PRINCESS JULIANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SXM

Saint Martin Island

The short runway (only 2300 m) of Princess Juliana Airport is adjacent to Maho Beach and forces airline pilots to land directly above the heads of vacationers, often at an altitude of no more than 10 m.

The airport is one of the central ones in the Caribbean; the frequency of landings during the season can reach up to 30 per hour. Depending on meteorological conditions, takeoff and landing at the airport have a high or medium degree of difficulty. But due to its close location to the beach, Princess Juliana Airport is one of the most dangerous airports in the world.

GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, GIB

Gibraltar

The air harbor is one of the smallest in the world, but it is more famous for the fact that its only runway (1680 m) is crossed... by the main street of the city. Therefore, every time a plane needs to take off or land, this street is blocked and motorists are stuck in a traffic jam at the crossing. However, planes do not fly here very often - the airport belongs to the British Ministry of Defense and is mainly used for the needs of the military and, although it also accepts civil aircraft, which are relatively few - only about 300 thousand passengers a year. Despite the dangerous proximity of the airport and the city street, during the entire operation of the airport, not a single serious incident involving human casualties was recorded.

However, Gibraltar airport is considered one of the most dangerous in the world.

CRISTIANO RONALDO MADEIRA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FNC

Madeira Island, Portugal

The beautiful Portuguese island is known not only as the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo, but also for its difficult-to-land airport, which was recently named after the footballer.

Initially, the air harbor had two runways, each of which was 1.6 km long. However, after the plane crash, which killed 131 people, the island's authorities decided to lengthen the stripes.

But this did not make takeoff and landing much easier, so in 2000, one runway was completed at the airport - it is placed on 180 reinforced concrete supports. The futuristic design of the runway is surrounded by a rich landscape: mountains on one side and the sea on the other.

The length of the runway is 2777 m. The main danger of the airport is in the landing approach: it involves an “uphill flight” and only at the very last moment the plane is turned around and landed on the runway.

WELLINGTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, WLG

New Zealand

Wellington Airport is located on the Rongotai Isthmus. Due to strong gusts of wind from the Cook Strait, which lead to the so-called “aerodynamic lift”, landings and takeoffs here are often too rough. Runway length - 2081 m.

At the same time, the airport is the main hub of the country's airlines; more than 5 million passengers use it every year.

LUKLA TENZING-HILLARY, LUA

Nepal's Lukla Airport, named after climbers Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, who were the first in the world to conquer Everest, is one of the world's most dangerous airports. The runway is only 527 m long (!) and has a slope of 12%, thanks to which the plane can brake and take off faster on such a short section.

Lukla is located high in the mountains, at an altitude of 2860 m above sea level. The runway is surrounded on one side by a cliff, on the other by a 700-meter cliff. When landing, airliners have to fly into a narrow mountain gorge, where it is quite difficult to maneuver. For this reason, aircraft landing at this airport is carried out only manually, in accordance with the Visual Flight Rules. The only radar equipment that is in Lukla is a radio station.

Due to weather conditions, planes arrive and depart from the airport mainly in the morning, before haze appears; because of them, the flight can be waited for several hours, or even several days.

COURCHEVEL AIRPORT, CVF

In addition to ski resorts, Courchevel is known for one of the most dangerous airports in the world. Its ultra-short runway is only 537 m long.

The strip is inclined by 18.5%. Due to the lack of an ILS system at the airport, it cannot accommodate flights during fog. By the way, a scene from one of the Bond films “Tomorrow Never Dies” was filmed here. But it doesn't.

JUANCHO E. YRAUSQUIN AIRPORT, SAB

Saba Island, Netherlands

Only the smallest planes can land at this airport, located on a small island in the Caribbean Sea, which belongs to Holland and is part of the Lesser Antilles group of islands.

The length of the runway here is only 400 m, there are practically no safety zones.

PARO AIRPORT, PBH

Bhutan's Paro Airport is located at an altitude of more than 2000 m in the Himalayas, in the narrow valley of the Paro River, surrounded by five-thousand-meter peaks, therefore it is considered one of the most difficult on the planet. Until 2011, only one airline operated flights to the airport. To date, only 12 pilots worldwide have been trained to fly in Paro.

The length of the runway is 1985 m. Flights here are operated only during the day and strictly under certain weather conditions. Despite all the difficulties and dangers, 30 thousand passengers fly to Paro every year.

SKIATHOS AIRPORT, JSI

Skiathos Island, Greece

The airport's runway, 1628 m long, is considered one of the most dangerous. The strip begins almost in the sea, its end also goes into the water.

For this reason, only certain types of aircraft with limited weight can land here. Extreme sports enthusiasts enjoy watching airliners landing and taking off. It happened that the air wave overturned cars parked next to the runway.

Fear of air travel is quite common. Passengers who try to combat it by studying air travel statistics know that most accidents occur during takeoff and landing.

Princess Juliana Airport, St Martin's Island

However, there are airports where not only the most cold-blooded passengers, but also highly professional pilots are afraid to land and take off.

Paro, Bhutan

The runway is located between five-thousand-meter Himalayan peaks. The airport is considered one of the most difficult to land. To accomplish it, pilots have to make turns between the mountains, which is only possible during daylight hours.

Matekane Airstrip, Lesotho

The 400-meter-long strip ends with a 600-meter-high cliff. It is a rare aircraft that manages to accelerate to climb without reaching the end of the runway. According to the idea of ​​the airport designers, aircraft must free fall to reach the required flight altitude.

Juancho Irausquin, Saba Island

The airport's runway is the shortest in the world - less than 400 meters long. Landing here is not for the faint-hearted: the pilot must steer the ship straight onto the rock, and at the last moment before landing, make a sharp turn to the right in order to find himself on a hill, washed on three sides by the ocean. Three types of aircraft are allowed to land at the airport, and jets are not one of them.

Princess Juliana Airport, St Martin's Island

The main airport of the Caribbean islands. When landing, planes fly directly over the heads (at an altitude of 10–20 meters) of vacationers on Maho Beach, since the runway is located close to it. During takeoff, the pilot is forced to U-shaped turn so as not to crash into the rock where the strip ends.

Tenzing and Hillary Airport, Lukla, Nepal

The airport, where the pilot has no room for error, was renamed in 2008 in honor of the first conquerors of Everest: Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. After prolonged maneuvering among the rocks, the ship must be sharply pointed down to avoid a collision with the rock that ends the short, 537-meter-long runway. By the way, the strip begins immediately after the cliff and is located on a slope. Takeoffs and landings are carried out at the airport exclusively according to visual flight rules, without the use of modern navigation systems.

Madeira Airport, Portugal

Madeira's main airport was once even scarier than it is now. However, it was reconstructed after the 1977 disaster that killed 131 passengers. Today, two runways located on the rock are 1.8 kilometers long. However, a significant part of the canvas is an overpass supported by 180 pillars with a diameter of 3 meters and a height of up to 50 meters. Due to the mountains and sea, the airport found itself in a zone of increased turbulence.

Barra, Scotland

The operation of the airport located on the beach is periodically interrupted naturally - during high tides, which erode the runway on the sand. Landings (almost splashdowns) at night are also impossible here.

Gibraltar International Airport

The airport belongs to Great Britain. Pilots landing here need good control of the brakes so as not to drown the plane in the strait that ends the runway. In addition, you need to monitor the movement of cars following the road crossing the lane.

Wellington, New Zealand

The extremely busy airport has only one runway, and even that one is relatively short - just over 1.8 kilometers. This circumstance, as well as the need to maneuver among the hills, makes landing of large aircraft impossible. As for small ships, their pilots' lives are overshadowed by incredibly strong air currents.

Alexandros Papadiamantis, Skiathos island, Greece

Landing at Skiathos Airport is far from ideal and can provide a thrill for even the most cold-blooded pilots. The relatively short (1.6 kilometres) and narrow runway ends in the ocean. There are vacationers on the coast. Therefore, pilots need the will and ability to press hard on the brakes. Takeoff tickles your nerves no less.

Congonhas, Brazil

Located a few kilometers from the center of Sao Paulo, the airport is a boon for passengers, but not for pilots who have to maneuver between high-rise buildings. There are also problems with the surface of the runway - it is often slippery due to rain. So, in 2007, for this reason, a plane crashed during landing; as a result of the crash, 187 passengers died in the cabin and 12 on the ground.

Gustav III Airport, Saint Barthelemy Island, French Overseas Community

Located on an island in the Caribbean, the airport has a runway that is only 650 meters long. It is also very narrow, so any time you land close to the slopes, the plane runs the risk of falling into the ocean.

Narsarsuaq, Greenland

The beautiful landscapes outside the window do not give pilots a reason to relax - the area is famous for its increased turbulence, which is why only well-trained pilots who know the area are allowed to fly here.

Toncontin International Airport, Honduras

Landing of large aircraft has been prohibited here since 2008. The reason for the veto was an accident, as a result of which the plane left the runway and crashed into an embankment, crushing several cars. 65 people were injured, 5 died.

Courchevel Airport, French Alps

Only certified pilots are allowed to land a plane on the 525-meter runway, which has a slope of 18.5%, located among the mountains.

Quito Mariscal Sucre, Ecuador

Located in the center of the densely populated capital of Ecuador. Pilots have to land the plane on a bumpy, fog-shrouded runway in the mountains.

Kai Tak, Hong Kong (now closed)

Accommodating aircraft from 1925 to 1998, the airport provided landings over a busy port and densely populated areas. In these conditions and with strong changeable winds, the pilots had to turn the ship 47° at an altitude of 200 meters before landing.

Ice Runway, Antarctica

The runway on Ross Island is built here every year, and the airport has been operating since December. The main difficulty is weather conditions. For landing to be possible, the plane must be able to withstand the ice. Therefore, pilots and dispatchers carefully monitor the air temperature and the melting of ice and snow. The permissible immersion of the ship in ice during landing is approximately 25 centimeters.

Photo: Ywchow, Scott Wylie (CC-BY), MartinPUTZ (CC-BY-SA), Konstantin von Wedelstaedt (GNU FDL), Peter Forster (CC-BY-SA), Indrik myneur (CC-BY), Photo courtesy of Tom Claytor - www.claytor.com , Andrew Cooper (CC-BY), Fyodor Borisov (CC-BY-SA), Mariordo (CC-BY-SA), iStock (x2), Timo Breidenstein (GNU FDL)

Anyone who has flown on an airplane at least once in their life remembers that feeling of danger when the plane comes in to land. Now imagine what sensations overcome those who decide to land not at the usual convenient and safe airport, but in some remote place, where there are not even asphalt roads, not to mention runways) And to make it easier to imagine this , we have prepared for you a list of the ten most dangerous runways in the world

For extreme sports fans, there have already been articles about the scariest cable cars and exciting attractions. I suggest you get another dose of adrenaline by virtually landing on these dangerous landing strips.
Greenland, despite its confusing name (green - green, land - earth), is in fact almost completely covered with ice and icebergs. It's no wonder that landing a plane between two tall icebergs is more like sticking your hand into a meat grinder and hoping for the best. this is exactly what the airport in Narsarsuaq looks like, in the sky above the only runway of which it is very cold, windy, and full of air pockets that can make the plane simply fall and crash

At Matekane Airport in the African kingdom of Lesotho, they effectively combined a landing strip and a 700-meter sheer cliff - a combination akin to a nosebleed in a cage with tigers

The situation is further aggravated by the fact that the runway itself is quite short, which is why during takeoff the pilots have to literally fall down for some time until the plane finally gains sufficient speed and levels out. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the coyote’s flight “experiments” from the old cartoon about the coyote and the cuckoo)

A similar combination is observed in the world famous French ski resort of Courchevel in the Alps, where the tiny 600-meter runway ends in a cliff from which planes, like in Matecan, “drop” down upon takeoff. The situation is aggravated by almost constant icing and strong winds, which makes both landing and takeoff extremely difficult. Therefore, only specially certified professional pilots are allowed here and, as an exception, Hollywood film actor Pierce Brosnan, who also has excellent piloting skills

Another fun airport is located in the capital of Ecuador. Not only will the landing strip rock the plane throughout the entire landing (or takeoff) until the passengers feel sick, but there will also be a small bump in the very center, on which the plane jumps up and falls back onto the landing gear

The already imperfect landing is further aggravated by local weather conditions (mainly frequent tropical downpours), but that’s not all - sometimes the active volcanoes located nearby also add to the fun, releasing a heap of ash into the sky, significantly impairing visibility and clogging aircraft engines.

The next dangerous airport is on the island of Saba (one of the Antilles) in the Netherlands

This is the most scenic runway on our list.

It is located on a kilometer-long cliff and ends abruptly on both sides, although its 430-meter length generally casts doubt on any landing or takeoff - the pilot should take good aim before landing, otherwise the plane will simply crash on the other side of the runway...

Another wonderful airport is located in Scotland - Barra Airport. The Scots did not bother with the landing strip at all - it is replaced by a soft sandy shore, as a result of which pilots constantly have to change their landing strategy based on the position of ocean currents

The runway of Toncontin International Airport in Honduras is striking in its incompetence - cars and planes stand side by side here, and when landing, pilots often have to go through a real obstacle course, maneuvering between cars and trying to save the lives of passengers

If flying for many hours at a huge altitude does not tire you, do not worry, you can continue to enjoy the difficult high-altitude conditions here at Tibet's Bangda Airport, which is the highest in the world, because... is located on a mountain plateau 4334 meters above sea level. Due to the high sparseness of the water and other factors caused by such altitude, the runway of Bangda Airport stretches over a huge distance - more than 60 football fields could easily fit here! The unique views of mountain ranges and clouds hanging above and below them for thousands of kilometers around will completely distract you from some fear when landing, although you can still admire them to your heart’s content during a two-hour trip along narrow, steep, winding, and generally very dangerous mountain roads to the city itself (the airport is located exactly at this distance from it)

Have you ever landed on a golf course?) Well, I think few will answer in the affirmative to such a strange question, but if such a desire is present, then you have a direct road to the capital of Thailand, the city of Bangkok, namely, to one of the two runways lanes of Don Mueang International Airport

Don Mueang was originally built as a military airport, and the 18-hole golf course was intended to give soldiers something to do in their free time) By the way, all this is still functioning, but if you are colorblind, then it is better to play golf somewhere - somewhere else, because A small red light informs golfers about the approach of the plane)

If you, approaching the Tanzanian Mwanza airport, pick up binoculars and look at the landing strip, you may see a small sign warning that there are many potholes on it) In fact, even driving a car here can seriously damage the suspension and tires , so get ready for a fun landing)

This article is in no way intended to discourage you from flying to these places, in any case the plane will most likely land safely, just before landing, note in advance where the paper bag is, take a deep breath and hope for the best! Happy landing)