Worst Airport to Taxi Around?

[SkywayFO]

Once you know the normal flow at ORD it is the easiest airport in the world. Here is the normal conversation.

"BlueRidge 123 off 4R, we need the Box."

"Follow company to blueridge parking"

Got to love simplicity like that!!

 

[mckpickle]

EWR ROCKS!!!

and you guys bashing IAH just squat to pee! No It is a bit odd until you figure out the secret. Everything that starts with a W(whiskey) is on the West side. Everything that is a N is on the north. S is south and so on. So if they say WB to NA you know your going up the west side to the north side.

I agree though DTW sucks. Only place I've ever taxied @V1 for fifteen minutes!!!!!

 

[tarp]

ORD

"Go directly to the box."
"Nope those departure gates are closed, cross Runway 9L to the Scenic Overlook."
"Yeah that's right, I want you to take Lake Shore Drive to 22L."
"No,no,no look just head over to the Mike Pad."
"United Express aircraft off of 9L, whoever you are, Hotel, Papa, Alpha Bridge, Ground."

Now looking at my chart for ORD -

I do have a "Penalty Box" and I do have a "Scenic Hold Pad".

But the "Mike Pad" is actually labelled the "9R pad" and Lake Shore Drive is actually a route that follows taxiways "F", "T" and "S". Alpha and Bravo "Bridges" are literally taxiway bridges over the highway but in Chicago parlance means taxi eastward around the terminal!

If you are new in Chicago - you are dead meat! The controllers think everyone knows their "lingo". Oh and don't speak until you are spoken to - my ears are still ringing from the squeals and I haven't been to ORD in a week!

 

[NightFlyer]

I'll agree with mobs on Paris (CDG). That place is screwed up.

 

[Typhoon1244]

...and you guys bashing IAH just squat to pee!

Of course you're right. It's the most well-layed-out airport on the planet. Not complicated at all.

Toronto cracked me up. It was my very first international destination, and it was at night. I was taking it real easy, taxiing slow, keeping one eye on the airport diagram. They wanted me to take the parallel down to (I don't remember the taxiway names, so I'll make something up) Tango and turn right. I got to what I thought was Tango and was just starting to move the tiller a little bit...and I swear those guys in the tower must've been watching us with binoculars, because as soon as my tiller hand twitched, they called us:

"Uh no, Candler, not there. It's the next one up on your right."

Good thing they were keeping an eye on us dumb Yanks!

 

[mckpickle]

I like DFW. Sure its big and all but the taxiways all go in order except Y. From what I heard Y is the furthest North to keep the Yankees as far north as possible!

 

[wanabe_fo]

YYZ

And what is up with Toronto making you talk to 4-6 different freq. for taxi in and out to GA parking.

"Taxi Tango, hold short Alpha for the heavy airbus, follow the bus hold short Runway XX, contact ground controller 123.45"

Thank God I was in a GA airplane that could actually tune to more than one freq at a time.

 

[T-Gates]

I'm used to it now, but at first DTW blew me away. From our ramp to 21R we will change frequencies 3 times during the heavy pushes. On top of everything, I think they distribute speed to all of the controllers...

Taxi 200 yds hold short, change frequencies, Taxi 200 yds hold short, change frequencies, Taxi 200 yds hold short, change frequencies, Taxi 200 yds hold short, change frequencies.....

"Ummmm. Flagship follow the really really really dirty -9 to 21R....."

"Okay, there are 13 dirty -9's in that line on 9L....."

It never ends.....

--03M

 

[ifly4food]

My vote goes for Toronto.
The place is like JFK witn nonstandard controllers. Taxi too fast, get yelled at. There's also a speed limit on the high speed exits. You must remain on the center line of the taxiway. Too bad the turtles were,'t offest... you hear and feel every one of them.
Ever been there in a thunderstorm? The ramps automatically shut down and everyone gets to park on the runways for an hour.
Oh, and when they tell you "overshoot" that means go around.

As for O'Hare, once you get used to it, it's no big deal. They expect you to know where you're going and just offer "guidance". It's when a FNG shows up that the place goes haywire. You'll think your brain is going to melt the first time they tell you to "taxialphabravomiketwomiketangotangotenthreetwoleft" and then move on without a readback.
I once had a tower guy tell me "look, when you pull off the runway, don't stop. We know that you know where you're going. Just take Bravo to the ramp and we'll call you when and if we get time.

 

[dav8or]

I'm not too fond of BOS. Lots of runways in a small space. You talk to ground then tower then tower (2) You got Cape Air guys taxing in formation at V1 and best thing is the fog off the ocean.

 

[AAflyer]

A couple have already said it, by far CDG.

Take Ohare and imagine it with poor to no taxi-way markings.

Take YYZ nad DFW having numerous ground frequencies, ramp frequencies, clearance frequencies that are also poorly put on the charts.

Last but not least, the language barrier, and add in to the fact that half the jets are french so you are never sure of what they are telling those aircraft to do.

AAflyer,

Then again, ORD,IAH,DFW,LAX for the first time I think we all felt a little lost and behind.

 

[SkyGuyEd]

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA!!!!

The airport diagram looks like a big game of tic tack toe gone awry....

LGB's got the 5th most runway incursions of any airport in the nation, second to:
1 LAX
2 St. Louis
3 Orange County
4 North Las Vegas (???)

http://www.rannoch.com/PDF/DOT_IG_Rwy_Inc_6-01.pdf

 

[skeezer]

YYZ is horrible for the reasons stated before.

YUL is just as bad becuase some of the taxiways are incorrectly marked. If you dont have your taxi diagram out you are hosed.

Oh, and what the hell is with the small runway numbers in Canada? You can't read the dang things till you are practially over them!

Skeezer

 

[TheAmazingRando]

Willow run: easiest place to get an incursion. Hold short lines on top of hold lines, the place is a nightmare, especially with students. AArrrggghh, the horror.

 

[SquirrelDog]

It is all about what you are used to and where you are from. Cont. guys/gals think IAH and EWR are a piece of cake. While Eagle and American think LAX, ORD, and DFW are simple. I myself don't have that big of problem with most new or busy aerodromes as long as the controllers recongnize that everyone is not used to THIER AIRPORT!

Its that, the controllers that make the taxi harder than it should be. At least in most cases the guys at DFW talk at a resonable rate. Sh!t, Yankies think we all talk and listen at mach 2! I talk slower thus, I listen slower. Not to mention the accent barrier with different parts of the country.

Sometimes I wish Pilots could issue a time out or penalty to the controllers. Shoot, they are government, we pay them right.

As for the last post, I could taxi YIP in my sleep. Choose again.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Take YYZ nad DFW having numerous ground frequencies...

Huh? "Nad?"

 

[Typhoon1244]

Flew my first trip to ORD today...and you know what? It wasn't as bad as the horror stories I'd heard.

On the other hand, I spent about half-an-hour poring over the airport diagram before we got there, and made sure I always had a pen in hand (as did my F/O) whenever Ground was talking.

I also learned very quickly...don't ever read-back a taxi clearance in that place. Just say "roger!"

Overall, though, I think taxiing at IAH (lots of letters) and DTW (bad markings) are worse.

 

[StrykerFL]

Anchorage, Alaska.

Click on the link below to find out why.

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20020204X00182&key=1

 

[A Squared]

.......and made sure I always had a pen in hand (as well as my F/O) .....

You had your FO in hand ?????


"Anchorage, Alaska."

There's nothing particularly difficult about ANC. If it's your first time at an airport (captain) or even your third time (F/O) it might behoove you to have a taxi diagram out and be following it. It seems from the F/O's comments that he suspected that they hadn't turned 180 degrees to line up on 32 (90 from Romeo to kilo, then 90 from Kilo to 32) but he went ahead and took off when the captain told him to. I've heard it said that Asian flight crews have CRM problems as thier culture discourages questioning those in authority. Maybe this was a factor here?

At any rate, a heading check before power application would have prevented this....a lesson for us all.

 

[Typhoon1244]

You had your FO in hand?

Yeah, maybe I'll re-phrase that next time. In fact, allow me to go edit...

I always had a pen in hand (as did my F/O) whenever Ground was talking.