the most hairyest approach

[skyking1976]

Even a visual at Aspen is hairy! Very steep approach. If your not making skiers fall down on the runs, then your too high and going to make good use of the TOGA buttons!

If you don't hear "Terrain, Terrain" you're too high....

 

[OldManPilot]

Nothing like flying into New Orleans 50 miles out, check in with approach and get cleared for the visual, cleared to land and cleared to taxi to the gate all on one call. Now that's service!

 

[TWA 2 ASA FO]

How about Mexico City,


Was just doing my international check-out on the MD-80 and flew to MMMX. THe ILS to 5L/R (whichever it was) was out (as it had been for 3-4 years) so we made a VOR approach to mins. THe MDA was like 8,100 MSL or something crazy like that. Approach will clear you for ABC arrival to XYZ transition to the VOR to 5 L/R "radar service is terminated, contact the tower" and you are like 35-40 miles from the airport. The airport is around 7,600 MSL with 18,000' MSL mountains in all quadrants.

Of course it was 23:30 and raining. but thankfully they don't crown or groove the runwayrs in MEX. All I have to say was, thank GOD it was the Capt's leg and he had been there before. But to make up for it, we had 70 cent Negro Modelos (sic) that went 2 for 1 at happy hour.

 

[CitationCapt]

Sometimes Demanding approaches

Already mentioned and I second... ASE, BTM.

Add EGE, JAC and SUN.

MMTO (Toluca)

CC

 

[CMRaviator]

I'm going to put my vote on the HI-ILS RWY 21 at Roswell, NM. The approach is known as the Widow Maker. UPT IPs love it for some reason.

Take a Look:

https://164.214.2.62/products/digit...INDUSTRIAL_AIR_CENTER__KROW/HI_ILS_RWY_21.PDF

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

River visual to 19 DCA. A fellow pilot said it best. Everything the Feds tell you not to do, you gotta do in DCA.

Getting configured
Bank angles
Prohibited areas
traffic
short intersecting runways
spacing
oh did I mention fun?

and that;s just gettin in...once your there you gotta get out (Rwy 01)


DCA airport diagram

I am bit biased, I'm sure there are some tougher ones out there...

 

[icefr8dawg]

DCA apch.

You forgot to add the mobile SAM sites on top of the new White House office building That new addition makes me a little more tense.
Rob

 

[acaTerry]

ROA. LDA 6 (LDA with Glideslope, offset from runway). Winter night at minumums in snow and one howling crosswind from the east. What a bear. BTW...a Jetstream 32.

 

[DDpaysoff]

I don't know but Dominica is the coolest. Gotta love it when the ocean is splashing up onto the end of the runway and you're on approach in some valley looking up at mountains on both sides of the window. Gotta check the tires for banannas on the postflight. Makes the river 19 circle 22 look like a straight in. Heard Tegucigalpa, Hondoras is great. Maybe someday I will get to do it, when AA hires again in about 16 years.

 

[J32driver]

ASE at night, in the winter... you can see your green nav light reflecting off of the mountain to your right during short final. Yep... that about says it all.

 

[charlie1]

MEXICO CITY ILS RWY 05, 1:00 AM, THUNDERSTORMS, FOG, TWO ENGINES OUT (DC-8), MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN, LOW FUEL!!!!!!

 

[fuzzy077]

Telluride

I'm gonna have to say Telluride, CO is by far the hairiest approach out there. And if the approach isn't hairy enough for you, then the missed approach will really make your butt pucker.

 

[Wizwheel]

Hairy Approach

Ok it has to be Scammon Bay when it's 50' overcast, and a half mile or soo....and your on the visual b/c there ain't no approach! been there?

 

[TheRaven]

NDB to Rwy 1 circle to 19 in ILE (Kileen, TX) at night in rainshowers, with low cloud cover, ground fog, and with a raging tailwind. This Place is notorious for people going off the end, and when your FO utters, "this will all make good reading in a report if we screw up" it really ratcheys up the pressure.

 

[Mookie]

KBUR in nice weather, winds from the west, and on a weekend. Just spent an entire month dodging warriors and cherokees and traffic launching off of VNY with no regard that we're doing an approach right over the top of the airport.

scary...

oh yeah, and Butte, Mt. on the night lead in light circle approach. watched it from the jumpseat once...only once. there's a good reason it's a special qual in the rj at skywest.
mookie

 

[bcflyer]

Castlegar BC Canada. LOC DME approach, about 5 or 6 stepdowns, DME cuts in and out at because of the hills until you are about 8 miles back, runway is in the bottom of a valley, approach takes you over a large hill located 2 miles from the airport. If you break out at minimums the runway will be at your 8 oclock or so. Only the captain will see it and he has to look over his shoulder to do so. You then proceed to circle in the valley to land. The departure out of there is even more fun. Circle around and around to 10000 to clear the mountains. In a heavy Dash-8 this can take a while!! LOL.. I had a DC-10 captain in the jumpseat one day and after the approach to minimums he said he would much rather do the "checkerboard" approach any day.

 

[AWACoff]

When crew scheduling junior mans you for a trip and you can tell them to stick it up there #$#&$....you might be flying into Aspen.

That's how it is at AWAC for Aspen trips.

When other aircraft are asking tower for a ground speed readout on you....you might be in Aspen in a 30 degree bank at Ref + 5.

When you're flying down a canyon making a blind turn onto short final...you might be flying into Aspen.


That is one airport I have no desire to frequent.

 

[captxxx]

Lebanon, NH(RWY #-?) ILS ---snow and blowing snow and due to terrain your ground proximity goes off if your much past 120K on approach; in a non-radar environment, at night. Also I'll agree with DCA, Aspen & Reno----Can I Get A WITNESS, AMEN

 

[CitationCapt]

Butte

Mookie quote:
"oh yeah, and Butte, Mt. on the night lead in light circle approach. watched it from the jumpseat once...only once. there's a good reason it's a special qual in the rj at skywest."
mookie
_____________

FYI- The latest Jepp revision for Butte shows the Lead In Lights removed.

CC

 

[TEXAN AVIATOR]

Ely, Nevada- GPS approach runway 18, circle to land at night in a C172 with thunderstorms in the area; wind shear, solo.