Difficult Airports

[labbats]

All good stuff, hope to fly into the likes of Chicago O'Hare one day in my C-152

This thred would be even nicer if people would not use only the identifier because I am sure a lot of people, like me, don't know all of those. And I don't feel like banging it into some website somewhere. Lazy me.

Use www.airnav.com to put in any identifier and see the airport.

 

[Say Again Over]

Never been to Telluride but it looks scary from my altitude, see it on the trans-con.

 

[XTW]

TEX isn't bad. Wide open departing to the west. You can get a bit of a bumpy ride in and out though.

X

 

[Gorilla]

Guatemala City when the weather is down. Roller-coaster runway, slippery, bumpy final due to winds off the mountains, volcanos, etc etc. Any of the ski resort airports demand respect. ORD - great operation there, I have respect for the excellent controllers. LGA - can be a PITA in the winter, but overall not too bad. The SOCAL airports, dense traffic with GA airplanes... nothing against those guys, but the pattern and final approach speeds don't mix well.

 

[Caveman]

HPN is my least favorite, followed closely by SCE. Nothing against the GA guys, but airliners and 172's just don't mix well at uncontrolled airports. Flying in and out of JFK/LGA/ATL/ORD in bad WX isn't a big deal for me, but SCE on a VFR weekend stresses me out. I'm not crazy about HVN or ISP on a sunny afternoon either but at least they have operating control towers.

 

[hawkercpt]

Telluride....KTEX

http://www.airnav.com/airport/KTEX

I'll take LGA any day.

Definately followed by ASE...

then CGF. (corporate HQ)

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

Well, SFO has the most delays and G.S. EDCTs.... etc....its always foggy but most common CFR are LAX, LAS, EWR, HPN, TEB, ....most of the NE when its snowing cause its a choke point system which screws up the NAS......I gots to go with SFO when its fogged in and the bay is on the SE plan I.E. SJC landing southeast, oakland on 11, and SFO landing 19 departing 10. That is a serious slow down of the bay.

 

[B314Clipper]

What about Dulles, IAD? I dealt with that airport for almost eight years with ACA/IDE. I was very happy to be based in ORD for two years just to get away from that place. ORD and LGA at least have excuses for their delays, namely traffic and crossing runways. IAD just recently got busy and has a very wide open runway lay out. Yet, they still slow everyone down and send you on traffic patterns by way of Manassas and Maryland. You'll look as you pass the airport and see that they are only using one of their parallels, 1R/L. And all departures have to go off of 30. There would often be a huge line for takeoff and everybody had to wait for one runway. Compare that to ORD where they would be launching and recovering aircraft every 30 seconds. Dulles is the only airport where I've heard the ground controller tell everyone on frequency to stop and hold position. The last time I heard this, there were only five airplanes on the ground. Keep in mind all of this happened at an international 121 airport for our capital city. I will admit it was getting better at the end, but they didn't have anywhere to go but up.

I also agree with HPN, hated flying into that place.

 

[Draginass]

Quito, Equador. 9300' PA, high terrain all around the airport. Poor weather much of the time. Complex approach necessitated by terrain, then having to abandon the glideslope close-in to land in the touchdown zone, high TAS on approach, then trying to get stopped without hot brakes.

 

[EagleRJ]

I would agree on HPN. The rich folks deserve every minute they have to sit on the ground waiting for EDCT, a gate, or deice. If they want airline service, but don't want to expand their GA-size airport with its tiny terminal, then they'll have to endure some delays.

As for airports where GA and airline traffic mix, the absolute worst (of the controlled fields at least) is SBP. The airport is in a long valley that concentrates all of the inbound and outbound traffic along one route, and there is one Local controller there who is completely helpless when working aircraft with widely differing groundspeeds

 

[FCPhotography]

I like the busy airports because of the scenery. ATL, BOS, ORD, LGA, EWR, JFK,PHL. Getting paid the little we do to watch a 747 go around at 50 feet is pretty cool.

ORD gate hold for 2 hours in the middle of a trip never bothered me.

 

[Fred Rogers]

good stuff

These are very interesting. I almost completely forgot about the mess that is L.A. A gazillion little airplanes going this way and that, mixed in with tons of rich folks (and all you "lucky" people who fly them) in and out of VanNuys and every other airport down there.

As to the previous post, FC- I agree that I don't mind the delays in the middle of the trip.. but doesn't it always seem to run smooth in the middle, and then on your friday... big constipation? Maybe it's just cause you're excited to get home and everything feels like it takes twice as long.

 

[minitour]

With very limited experience, I would have to say...

IFR: CLE
VFR: BKL

Why is it CLE can issue me a taxi clearance to 24L or 6R for departure after I get my clearance...then half way there, I'm at a dead stop while they switch me to 6L or 24R depending on where the winds are at? And why is it that they don't get how in a 172 I can be ready at 24L at L right NOW (since I did just tell ground "N123 can be ready now for the intersection departure") for IMMEDIATE takeoff (and yes...I see the SWA 737 on 5 mile final...I'll beat him out....let me goooooo! Please!) or how I can take 6R from N and be ready right NOW rather than have me taxi behind a CAL 757 alllllllllll the way to the end, then have me wait the 3-4 minutes after he goes when I coulda beat him out in the first place? I know first come first serve....but how about we use some common sense too.

As for BKL...if I want to leave VFR to the East...why do they put me on a hdg/alt restriction that puts me right through CGF's class D. (then CLE app doesn't want me in the Bravo and doesn't want me to talk to CGF tower either...wtf?) I only needed to do that once (after another pilot warned me ) to never go in/out of there VFR again.

...but I've heard TEB is bad too.

-mini

 

[chperplt]

I've seen a lot of LGA mentioned, but I haven't seen one mention of the reason LGA sucks. The airport is fine when the Jamaican lady isn't anywhere near the airport. She shows up and ends up with aircraft pointed nose to nose on A and B.

 

[Cat Driver]

Difficult in bad weather? BGBW

Expensive? BGBW

 

[Guitar rocker]

Someone might have mentioned it, but I dont know the identifier anymore, but never really cared landing in Guantanamo Bay.....fine landing on 28 but didnt care much for 10, at least not in the lead sled.

 

[MissKittyKat]

TGU? Teguigalpa? (sp)

 

[Lead Sled]

From a "technical" point of view the toughest domestic US airports would probably be ASE, followed closely by EGE. When it comes to the rest, and I've been to all of the ones mentioned, if you've been to one you've more or less been to them all. (After all, just how tough is getting vectored to final?) The fun doesn't really begin until after you've landed.

'Sled

 

[AlabamaMan!!]

Sled knows what I'm talkin about. If I didnt have to worry about paying the bills, I'd give the boss "four thumbs down" to ASE and EGE.

 

[Say Again Over]

Intl airports; The old FUNCHAL, Madeira Island before the lengthened the runway was fun. (LPMA)