Couple a good sized rocks next to this field.

[falcon20driver]

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/875932/L/

 

[Stifler's Mom]

Just remember, on departure fly RUNWAY HEADING!

 

[minitour]

I thought this was gonna be about the girl behind the FBO Counter...

-mini

 

[pilotpat]

Now that's crazy!! I wonder how bad it is when the wind kicks up? And where is the FBO girl......

 

[A Squared]

OH, The title led me to believe that picture would be of an airport with mountains very close the the runway, like this:
Rocks

Alternate View:

More Rocks

 

[avbug]

What a beautiful place.

Pilotpat, if you look closely at the shot of Innsbruk, you'll see the big space next to the rocks...that's where you fly. The size of the rocks doesn't really matter, so long as you're not flying into the rocks. I guess that would be another "difficult airport," wouldn't it.

Said it before...difficult pilots, not difficult airports.

Fly into the light, pilotpat. Fly into the light...

 

[BE90flyer]

Another "I'm the greatest in the world" remark from AVBUG

 

[Traumahawk]

What a beautiful place.

Pilotpat, if you look closely at the shot of Innsbruk, you'll see the big space next to the rocks...that's where you fly. The size of the rocks doesn't really matter, so long as you're not flying into the rocks. I guess that would be another "difficult airport," wouldn't it.

Said it before...difficult pilots, not difficult airports.

Fly into the light, pilotpat. Fly into the light...

Again...Pompous @ss Moment.

While some here may view things with a varying amount of perspective, I'd say under windy conditions and IFR this, along with many other airports can be difficult. I guess it all depends on what difficult means to you.

Does it mean something you might approach with a higher level of respect/concern...or for others, does it require everything they have?


For instance...Mile-Hi and others in Idaho may just be places that require simply more attention than you might pay when landing your supercub on a 5000ft wide grass runway in Florida. More planning and preciseness.
For others that know their limitations, it may require everything they have as far as skill, nerve and reaction to the unexpected.
This perspective often changes with experience.

You know, Avbug is never really impressed with anything or anyone on the 10 or so boards that he somehow finds time to frequent. So many great aviators have showed us how they accomplished great things in the face of what they thought to be difficult.
When Don Sheldon landed on the side of Mt Mckinley sitting at 11,000+ft, for the first time, he said many aspects of it were extremely difficult, so difficult that the Rescue pilot/Alaskan Bush Flying Legend's hands & Feet were trembling as he lined up on final. He then proceeded to land on the same site several more times. So many, that it was to the point where he could almost do it with ease.
If he were alive today I doubt he would spend his time dishing out criticism towards pilots of varying experience that he doesn't even know, let alone act like there is nothing in the world that impresses him.
THATS an EXPERIENCED, SECURE Pilot.

T-Hawk

 

[DGdaPilot]

Buuuuurrrrn

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

V1, rotate, V2.........positive rate, gear up..........WOOP WOOP, TERRAIN, PULL UP!

 

[avbug]

Seems I talked about the ROCKS, not about me. What part of aiming for the space between the rocks do you find difficult? What part do you find to be of such extrordinary nature that only the elite can field such high accomplishment?

If you find aiming for the space between the rocks to be so difficult, then it's your competence that's in question...a judgement you make upon yourself, and no one else.

When one treads water in the ocean, the depth of the water is irrelevant. When one flies into a mountain airport, the size of the "rocks" isn't relevant, unless you plan on hitting them.

There are few here on this board, or elsewhere, that could hold a candle to Don Sheldon. I'm not one of them, and never claimed to be. His own accomplishments went far beyond mere flying.

Very simple concepts, these. Water flows downhill. Keep that in mind around mountains. Water flows downhill, so do you. Keep spaces between rocks in your path instead of the rocks, don't try to outclimb them, be able to turn, and keep your eyes open. Fly published proceedures where they're available, and you can't hit anything, rocks or not. Not rocket science, children. How did you ever get certification, not understanding these things?

It's not about me, it's about the rocks. They've been there a very long time, and are not difficult. You may find them difficult, but then what has changed? The rocks? No, the only variable is you...if you find them difficult, it's not the rocks, it's you. Think about it.

 

[Lilah]

I was doing a BFR with a friend who wasn't used to the terrain we were flying near. He asked for directions and I told him to fly up to the mountains and then north. He stopped a flew parallel to the mountains when he was about a mile away from them. In an effort to show him one could safely and legally fly closer to the terrain I took control of the plane and turned towards the granite. When he expressed concern, the exercise was terminated and we had a discussion.

The terrain is moving, and as a result, dynamic. The fact is it isn't moving very fast. There are many times where it is in fact SAFER to fly closer to the terrain than away from it. That's hard to accept sometimes, especially if you haven't done it before. If you fly arrivals and appr. procedures with the same prescision every time, what's outside the protected airspace shouldn't make any difference. Knowing what's protected and what's not is; however, key.

There's a famous picture of an A-300 wrecked on a hill, just outside of his CAT D circling limits. I think the accident was in Taiwan.

Avbug isn't always right, but has it right with this one.

Lilah

 

[avbug]

Avbug isn't always right?

Rats.

 

[pilotpat]

avbugger.......why do you continue to have a problem with me? I have PM'd you about this and asked for a reply like a man, but I guess you really can't do that - so you attempt to bash me on the boards. Well, bud - seems you have been proven wrong on the 'dangerous aiport' thread by someone other than myself, and I am guessing that you don't think ASE is a dangerous airport (as kind of implied in the statement above). Well, then you're what I thought - a wanna-be. I know people know you and vouch for you and everything, but you're still a wanna-be. You have a zero life - I mean 4572 posts?!?!!? WhenTF do you have time to actually fly? I know you're the king of the boards who probably began the whole I'm too f'n cool to post Civ/Mil and that you've flown "all" aircraft and have "all" the ratings and your total time is n/a, but you're a zero f'er. Yup, an f'n zero.

 

[avbug]

You're still the consumate professional, patsy.

 

[Donsa320]

I was doing a BFR with a friend who wasn't used to the terrain we were flying near. He asked for directions and I told him to fly up to the mountains and then north. He stopped a flew parallel to the mountains when he was about a mile away from them. In an effort to show him one could safely and legally fly closer to the terrain I took control of the plane and turned towards the granite. When he expressed concern, the exercise was terminated and we had a discussion.

The terrain is moving, and as a result, dynamic. The fact is it isn't moving very fast. There are many times where it is in fact SAFER to fly closer to the terrain than away from it. That's hard to accept sometimes, especially if you haven't done it before. If you fly arrivals and appr. procedures with the same prescision every time, what's outside the protected airspace shouldn't make any difference. Knowing what's protected and what's not is; however, key.

There's a famous picture of an A-300 wrecked on a hill, just outside of his CAT D circling limits. I think the accident was in Taiwan.

Avbug isn't always right, but has it right with this one.

Lilah

Pusan...now Busan...South Korea is where the circling accident occured, for the record.

DC

 

[canadflyau]

I would say any airport with rocks/mountains in the vicinity should be considered difficult. Its not just the see and avoid that is difficult, its what you can't see. Mountain flying is challenging and requires heads up thinking and always having an escape plan. Updrafts, downdrafts, rotors, orographic turbulence, incorrect barometric settings.

 

[irapilot]

a fav: http://www.airliners.net/open.file/974183/L/

 

[Flightjock30]

Other "fly correct heading" places that I am reminded of:

RNO, LAS, SFO, DEN, COS, SLC, PUB, ABQ, OGD, to name a few, and those
are all in this country!