Nastiest airports you've flown in...

Norman said:
I would nominate Basin Harbor, VT (B06).

Runway is 3,000 but only 90 feet between trees. It's also somewhat difficult to spot unless you know what you're looking for.
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Interesting. I had a feeling it might be challenging from looking at it in Google Earth, but I've yet to actually try going over there. It's one of my "must visit" places and a personal goal for this summer... :yes:
 
89TE Lajitas (prior to runway repair). Their runway had 2-3 foot cement "waves" that would prematurely launch you on take off, and you had to hold nose up on landing and time when to let it down to avoid damage.
 
Kritchlow said:
Inspired from other thread-


3) DXR (Danbury)- indescribable


Honorable mentions:
Aspen
Eagle
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Hey! That's my home airport!
Just because radar can't see you in the pattern from 3 of the 4 approaches, and just because the tower can't see you on 3 of the 4 approaches, and just because you take off into the hills on 3 of the departures and into the mall on the fourth, and just because here is absolutely nowhere to go on an engine out on take-off, and just because someone put up a radio tower in the pattern to RWY 26 or you have to fly through the mountain pass going in on RWY 35 or out on RWY 17, and you have to climb faster than the hill rises on RWY 8 or descend down the hill slope on RWY 26 doesn't mean it's a crappy airport.

Oh, right. It is kind of crappy at that. :yikes:

Never mind.

If you are flying something that doesn't have a pretty good rate of climb, the hills around DXR will eat your plane at the earliest opportunity.
 
I had forgotten about this place, WY11, A Bar A Ranch, WY. That's a pretty steep downhill with a road crossing the middle.

2003-08-24%2Bat%2B05-48-05
 
Another field I wouldn't recommend for students is the Brighton, MI airpark (45G). Runway width is 24 ft IIRC. It's not too short, but looks a lot longer than it really is from the air.

I think the nastiest *runway* I've ever seen was the one at Lake Lawn, WI. There's nothing difficult about the approach or landing, but the pavement was worse than at Sebewaing. I haven't been there in over 10 years now and don't even know if the airport is still open, now that the resort has closed (or was it just the restaurant?).
 
One of my favorite airports is 44N, Sky Acres. It's also the place where I had my closest brush with the Reaper since Southeast Asia.
There is a hump in the runway so you can't see the far end..
No tower, so I was calling my position and scanning the sky. No response on the radio, and the sky was clear so I pulled out on RWY 17 and started my roll (uphill). I had just rotated and started pulling up when a Cherokee came over the crest of the hill coming the other direction. I cleared him by less than 3 feet.
I left his "N" number with the airport manager. I'm told they had a serious discussion, about his persistent failure to use the radio as required, and was asked to vacate the field. Forever.
But....
Since then I have developed a bit of a twitch when I am on any runway where I can't see both ends.
 
Yeah - those fields with a lot of NORDO traffic that have multiple rwys and restricted views of all of them...

I had an interesting event with an ag plane one day at KPTS (Pittsburg, KS). The spray planes were working nearby, they were taking off of R34 and landing R16. Winds were out of the north. PTS has a single taxiway at the south end.

Ag planes may use radios, but they have a reputation of using their own freq and not CTAF, so you really have to pay attention. I was just about to taxi onto R34 for departure, but my spidey sense told me to wait just a couple extra seconds. Sure enough, the ag plane popped over the treeline and landed on R16. He taxied to the end of the rwy and into the far corner so I could clear off the taxiway onto the rwy and he could taxi off behind me.

Fun times.
 
mkosmo said:
That objectionable tag wouldn't be because of the conditions, it's due to issues with airspace or similar (but there's nothing they can do about it). It's may be due to the towers east and west of the field with the 9/27 rwy config, but I'm having trouble seeing why.
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I know normally it's due to airspace issues, but this is the full text from the airspace analysis that tagged it objectionable:

OBJECTIONABLE
E111: E-111 CONFLICT OF ASP FOR SIMUL TFC OPNS FOR BOTH VALHALLA & J & M FARMS ARPTS; RWY HAS EXCESSIVE LTRL & LONGL UNDULATIONS FOR SAFE ACFT OPNS; E111 CONT'D: USBL RWY LENGTH & OBSTN CLNC DO NOT OFFER AN ACPTBL LEVEL OF SAFETY FOR ACFT OPNS.

So, it appears in this case that it's not only the airspace that got it tagged. I'm not sure why J&M Farms is mentioned, that's in New Mexico. :dunno:
 
N801BH said:
Yup....
Mile Hi will get your attention.....:yikes::hairraise:...
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That's not an airstrip, that's an emergency landing

sorta like some of the short, one-way strips on the river bars in Idaho - you can arrive but most of us wouldn't ever leave...
 
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Clark1961 said:
That's not an airstrip, that's an emergency

sorta like some of the short, one-way strips on the river bars in Idaho - you can arrive but most of us wouldn't ever leave...
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Reminds me of the commercial for the cockroach poison from years ago....

Roach Motel " you can check in, but you can't check out":wink2::D;)
 
I wouldnt call it nasty these days, but I did my first take-offs and landings at 0W3, and at 2000 x 40 ft, it seemed awfully small and narrow for a student. I'm better for it today.

This video is of the airport, but I didnt make it.

https://youtu.be/O-cH0JRoQ98
 
docmirror said:
Whoa there Hoss. You think Catalina is "nasty"?

It's one of the nicest, cleanest, welcoming airports in SoCal. This isn't about a runway that has a bump in it, or something, this is about a place that you wouldn't ever let your pre-teen daughter get near.
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The OP said "nasty" could mean whatever you want it to....

My home airport(6P3) is 2300' with s nice dip in the middle. AFD says 30' wide but I've been there with a tape measure and it's 26'... I've never had any trouble landing there but one end has dropping terrain which messes with the sight picture and the other end has a displaced threshold because of a road. Often times I come in and cars will lock the brakes up even though I'm going to be well clear:)

Someone mentioned Catalina... That place messed with my head due to the bump as well as the terrain dropping off on both ends... But it was still really cool. The takeoff was fun, hold it off 5' all the way down the runway... then when you cross the departure end and the terrain drops, pull up:)
 
Surprised nobody's mentioned Clearview in Maryland, just north of DC outside the SFRA. 1840x30, pretty hilly runway with standard 50 ft FAA trees on either side. I've been in to get my mug, but it's pretty intimidating.
 
jpower said:
Surprised nobody's mentioned Clearview in Maryland, just north of DC outside the SFRA. 1840x30, pretty hilly runway with standard 50 ft FAA trees on either side. I've been in to get my mug, but it's pretty intimidating.
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Indeed. Only went in there once in a Citabria 150 and was uncomfortable as it was windy. Uphill with trees. I suppose the ones based there get used to it. No place for errors.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
The OP said "nasty" could mean whatever you want it to....
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What do you mean by the word 'to'? :wink2:

Make up anything you like. I used a common thesaurus to try finding something close and came up empty.
 
Mallory Airport wv12 just outside CRW Charleston WV.

One way in and out narrow runway. Tricky getting in and out of.

Nasty in the sense of urine soaked floors in the bathroom
 
gitmo234 said:
I wouldnt call it nasty these days, but I did my first take-offs and landings at 0W3, and at 2000 x 40 ft, it seemed awfully small and narrow for a student. I'm better for it today.

This video is of the airport, but I didnt make it.

https://youtu.be/O-cH0JRoQ98
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Awesome. My home-drome. I agree that this place will make you better every time you take-off or land.

Same plane, Same runway, different day:


And one of the crossing runway.

 
This thread has been eye opening. I'm almost ashamed to whine about some of the airports that I do. :D
 
Not really nasty but interesting. KDTG, 2364 x 21 feet asphalt that needed to be mowed in places. 3 feet on each side were completely broken up make it really about 15 feet wide.
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T39 Archer City, TX.

Runway crumbling, lots of potholes. No FBO or any kind of services at all. 2 ft tall weeds growing thru what's left of the pavement of the parking ramp.
 
PeeGee said:
nasty? KAPA. I hate flying into that airport. It's not unsafe. Just hate the procedures and traffic.
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OTOH, I love KAPA. Good controllers, good services, best airport restaurant anywhere. A little busy at times, sure, but that's easy to deal with. Of course, I'm a bit biased having been based there for 20 years.
 
Pilawt said:
The name is ambitious, but the A/FD remarks for 48U are not exactly Chamber of Commerce gems:



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I flew there by car but was unable to determine much since it was gated. It is on the top of a mesa, though.

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midlifeflyer said:
OTOH, I love KAPA. Good controllers, good services, best airport restaurant anywhere. A little busy at times, sure, but that's easy to deal with. Of course, I'm a bit biased having been based there for 20 years.
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I also like KAPA but I've based here forever (over 25 years). :eek:

It's always strange to me when I hear pilots, even those who live in the Denver area, say they are apprehensive about KAPA.
 
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So you're saying I should re-think my idea of doing one of my student cross-countries into DXR, in the hopes that I would get the through-the-valley approach?

YouTube makes everything look like so much fun, though!
 
Everskyward said:
I also like KAPA but I've based here forever (over 25 years). :eek:

It's always strange to me when I hear pilots, even those who live in the Denver area, say they are apprehensive about KAPA.
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The flip side can also be funny. Some years ago, I visited my company's home office in Atlanta and, having an extra day on my hands, decided to fly, so went to a flight school at PDK. The CFI explained to me how PDK was a very busy airport and not to be put off too much by the rapid-fire communications.

When we returned and did the debriefing, I remarked, "Gee, it must have been a quiet day today." He looked at me like I must have had my volume turned down to inaudibility.
 
midlifeflyer said:
The flip side can also be funny. Some years ago, I visited my company's home office in Atlanta and, having an extra day on my hands, decided to fly, so went to a flight school at PDK. The CFI explained to me how PDK was a very busy airport and not to be put off too much by the rapid-fire communications.

When we returned and did the debriefing, I remarked, "Gee, it must have been a quiet day today." He looked at me like I must have had my volume turned down to inaudibility.
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Even APA isn't that busy, really. They sure act like they are for a level 8 facility....
 
Cleveland Hopkins.

I mean, it's Cleveland.


(actually the FBO had the most amazing chair I ever sat in)
 
PeeGee said:
Even APA isn't that busy, really. They sure act like they are for a level 8 facility....
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I guess it depends on your definition of "busy." It's been down a bit in recent years but being in the top 30 for total operations by US airports (top 3 for GA ops) isn't exactly a snail's pace.
 
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midlifeflyer said:
I guess it depends on your definition of "busy." It's been down a bit in recent years but being in the top 30 for total operations by US airports (top 3 for GA ops) isn't exactly a snail's pace.
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Since I've been based at KAPA I've noticed that the nature of the traffic has shifted. I think there is less small GA and training (although there is still quite a bit compared to other places) and more business aircraft.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I guess it depends on your definition of "busy." It's been down a bit in recent years but being in the top 30 for total operations by US airports (top 3 for GA ops) isn't exactly a snail's pace.
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30+ on freq is busy :)
I think it's just the attitude you get there that turns me off.
Oh and the time I was on final with a lear behind me and got broken off to sidestep while I was over cherry creek because he was about to hit me... that part too...
 
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Everskyward said:
Since I've been based at KAPA I've noticed that the nature of the traffic has shifted. I think there is less small GA and training (although there is still quite a bit compared to other places) and more business aircraft.
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I think GA is just down everywhere. It'll come back I hope.
 
PeeGee said:
I think GA is just down everywhere. It'll come back I hope.
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There's also the fact that KAPA is expensive and many small GA owners base out of Front Range instead, even though it's further from where they live.
 
I got nothing for this thread. Like an attorney/pilot told me once - flying GA - they treat you like kings. So far the line crews and FBO operators have been amazing to work with over the 10 years I've been flying.

Now landing in Oklahoma... well. 25KT gusting to 30 something isn't normally something I worry about much. But when the ASOS says "variable", well, they don't kid about that in Oklahoma ...
 
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