worst airports

[troyzohner]

For whatever reason, what are some of the airports that you have flown to that you would never want to go to again?

 

[ShawnC]

Titusville, FL: Has a descent café, cool museum, and a great view for shuttle launches even though TFRs now prevent flight for about 12 hours around the launch window, but man it feels like they put speed bumps on 9-27.

 

[LrBob]

telluride-9000ft agl and shape like a bow sitting on the side of a mountain suckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkks

 

[tinman]

Provo, Utah. Doesn't have a tower, but one is long overdue.

 

[Dash8]

phl, worst friggin airport ever, bad design, overloaded (thanks US mgmt)

 

[floatflyer99]

Murphy Hot Springs, Idaho.
6000' elevation

5250' of the roughest, lumpiest grass known to man pockmarked with gopher holes.

Nobody around, no information postedl, no sign of life/civilization.

Walked down a dirt road into a ravine and saw the settlement in the distance. After a while, a pickup truck drove by with two stern black cowboy hat wearin' dudes. We waved and they just glowered. When they got about a hundred yards beyond us, however, they stopped and looked like they were thinking about coming back our way. The feeling in the pit of our stomachs told us they weren't considering giving us a lift or helpful advice. We were happy when after what seemed like forever, they started driving away again.

To make a long story short, we never did find any hot springs. That place gave me the creeps.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/3U0

 

[whereamI]

Barstow, CA- I think this is the most depressing airport I have ever had the displeasure of landing at.

Blythe, CA- A close second, that doesn't bring back great memories.

 

[Kingairrick]

MAC, Herbert Smart Field, Macon, GA. The main runway has a hump in the middle so you can't see if another aircraft is taking off right into you as you push the power up. There is no control tower. Plus, it's in Macon.....

 

[GCD]

Bangkok, Thailand

17R is like a washboard, which makes for really noisy takeoffs.

For some reason, the controllers like to land 17L and takeoff 17R, but the terminal is on the west side of the airport. This requires landing traffic to cross 17R to get to the terminal, which makes for exciting, heart-throbbing moments on takeoff when you see a B747 nose up to the runway during your takeoof roll. This is especially heart-trobbing when no one can understand the tower controller. "Did he clear them to cross or hold them short?"

What's really wacky, is when the crown prince decides to take a little spin in his F5 fighter, the airport closes down for him. He decided to take a little drive one day at the big arrival time of 3:00 pm. There was heavy metal all over the Thai airspace, coming in from every continent, and only one arrival controller. He became so frustrated trying to issue holding clearance, he got up and walked off the job.

Our airplane was on an opposite heading, at the same altitude of a Lufthansa B747. We mutually agreed to do our own noise abatement procedure by each turning 20 degress to the right away from each other (noise abatement because two B747's colliding would make a loud noise). About five minutes later, which seemed an eternity, a new controller stepped in with his best english, which was marginal to the aviators trying to understand him.

Well, we made it in just prior to reaching our planned divert fuel. One and a half hour later, after riding the bus through Bangkok traffic, we were at the hotel. Of course, an adult beverage in the bus was the custom because the drive is so long, and just as heart-throbbingly exciting as the previous arrival.

As we drank our beverages, we toasted to another successful arrival in Bangkok, and that we lived through another one.

 

[labbats]

Call me a crazy pilot, but that was well written, and now I want to fly into Bangkok.

 

[logolight]

Roanoke , VA. Flying a CRJ on an LDA approach, line up on 1/2 mile final and land up hill on a 6800 ft. strip at 145 kts.

 

[dispatchguy]

Roanoke , VA. Flying a CRJ on an LDA approach, line up on 1/2 mile final and land up hill on a 6800 ft. strip at 145 kts.

Even worse than CRW? Especially with 5/23 notammed closed a lot, and those non-standard runway markings.

Today, for example, at CRW the edge lights were OTS, along with the approach control radar.

 

[sydeseet]

Any airport in New Jersey. I can name a few specific spots but why waste the space.

I agree with the above post about Roanoke, VA. That LDA (which is NOT aligned with the runway, for those who haven't done one in a while) will make a man of you on a scuddy day.

 

[skyking1976]

Rock Springs, WY (Cock Springs) - I spent a lifetime there one summer....

 

[merikeyegro]

...

28J - Palatka/Kay Larkin, FL. Smells like ass the entire time you're up there. On a day with a north wind, the Georgia Pacific paper mill that is located 1 NM NE of the field fills your lungs with nasty wood pulp stank. Not to mention, you're halfway between the coast and Gainesville. Ain't nuthin' up there but steers and queers and a few extra gator wrasslers...

Fort Morgan, CO - see above, only substitute the smell of cow dung and slaughterhouses for the wood pulp. Oh yeah, Fort Morgan is a wonderful city, too...

1V5 - Boulder, CO - Hippies STILL won't let an IAP into the airport that serves a city of 100,000. The nasty noise-abatement procedure on Runway 8 that brings you in on 3/4 mile final at 5,300 MSL, the constant downslope wind landing Runway 26, and the incessant glider ops make this airport a bit of a pain. However, unless you want to drive to BJC or 2V2 (Longmont), this is your baby. The city has tried to shut down the airport for the last 10 years, at least, in favor or "affordable" housing units. Don't forget the upslope fog that hides the mountains 4 NM west of the field, too...with no IAP...

 

[wingnutt]

Wink, Texas...but if you land at night, never fear, the glow from the burning sludge out of the gas wells will illuminate your path

 

[uavchaser]

ill second that wink texas post, dont worry if you need gas at midnight either, you won't be getting any.

 

[KINGAIR PIC]

My one experience with Sarasota, FL (SRQ) was a bad one. Landed there one Sunday afternoon and it was a mad house. Took over an hour to get fuel, and a half hour to taxi out. Delays caused mostly by training aircraft, and the tower can't handle all of it.

 

[Brett Hull]

The Redneck Rivera

DTS - Destin, FL

You've got trainee's in approach at Eglin trying to smash you into someone else. Then when you get in the pattern with the Falcon 50, Lear, Citation, Baron, Dr. Moneybags in his V-Tail coming straight in, and the 152 from the flight school, and trying to figure out where everyone else is, the girls on Unicom are tying up the frequency with the most important question of the day: "How long are yuns gonna be here?".

It's gotta be one of the best FBO's to sit at all day, too.

 

[freightdogfred]

Medellin,Colombia...a NDB approach to minimums because the FARC leftists blew up the VOR station the week before. Middle of the night, convective weather all around, ADF needles that swing around on a good day, and the elevation up about 8500 ft. It'll make a christian out of you.......