What's the most difficult or interesting airstrip you have landed at?

[Admin]

Post here in this thread which airstrip you have flown into that you have found to be the most difficult or challenging?

 

Note the new Google Earth Airfields tool in the Resources Section that we now have here at Recreational Flying

[pmccarthy]

Three Hummock island in Bass Strait is grass with Cape Barron geese to avoid. Not difficult but an interesting strip and location.

[old man emu]

The one that is in front of me on short final.

[facthunter]

Cairns in monsoonal rain or Christmas Island with low cloud. One that must be mention is the original Hong Kong  before they moved to Lan Tau sp?  Just google Landings at old Hong Kong airport. Nev

[Yenn]

Between Rocky and Yeppoon, the opposite side of the road from Mt Jim Crow is a strip I don't know the name of. Landing there in the Corby I cannot see dead ahead and at the time I landed there it was only about 6m wide mowed. All I could do as I landed was try to keep the long grass visible both sides and try not to be able to see the mowed bit. If I saw it I would be off the strip. I did two landings there for a BFR. Not easy.

[Ironpot]

4 hours ago, Yenn said:

Between Rocky and Yeppoon, the opposite side of the road from Mt Jim Crow is a strip I don't know the name of. Landing there in the Corby I cannot see dead ahead and at the time I landed there it was only about 6m wide mowed. All I could do as I landed was try to keep the long grass visible both sides and try not to be able to see the mowed bit. If I saw it I would be off the strip. I did two landings there for a BFR. Not easy.

Cawarral?   The main strip is 2000m long! 

Hedlow and Emu Park are close too

Edited November 12, 2020 by Ironpot

[SSCBD]

Landing up north (or taking off) in a float plane near the great barrier reef in a northly swell. You will never need a chiropractor ever again. 

[Yenn]

It is not the Cawarral strip on the Google Earth. Very close to the Yeppoon road and has powerlines at the approach end, right beside the road.

[Kununurra]

Birdsville 2018 with a very strong X-Wind.

 

[Downunder]

Landing Port Augusta in a massive cross wind.

Decided to take off on the taxi way to depart.

No one else was flying and the airport deserted and the taxi way was directly into wind.

I was pretty heavy but off the ground in a couple of meters.....

[Ironpot]

17 hours ago, Yenn said:

It is not the Cawarral strip on the Google Earth. Very close to the Yeppoon road and has powerlines at the approach end, right beside the road.

I think that one may be “Mt Jim Crow”. It is an ALA but I didn’t realise it was in use. A R44 does tourist flights out of it pretty regularly. 

[Yenn]

It is certainly right next to Jim Crow. There was another strip a bit nearer Yeppoon years ago that I flew from skydiving. I wasn't the pilot just sat on the floor for a short while before I jumped out.

[Jaba-who]

Mataranka springs (NT)  The strip has big clump of trees jutting into the runway at the  threshold. It used to be a single mango tree but gradually got more trees growing up with it. 
The strip has a bend in it to accomodate the trees. 
Edit: I notice on google earth now the end closest to the resort itself seems to be a car park now so maybe they’ve extended it away  from the mango tree now. 

Edited November 16, 2020 by Jaba-who

[NT5224]

OK,  a whinge from me

 

The most difficult airstrip I ever landed at was Longreach.  About five years ago I was traveling across Australia without an ASIC card. I think I landed at Longreach  on a weekend when the place was deserted. It  was mid summer, in the  mid 40's centigrade   and no shade. I had landed to refuel and wait through peak of the heat to avoid midday turbulence.   It was  extremely hot and I needed avgas and drinking water. I called the relevant authorities, explained my situation and  asked permission to leave the apron to because I was becoming dehydrated and needed to drink (there were no water faucets  airside). My request for the security gate code was denied.

 

In the end  I got the avgas guy to bring me some  a couple of bottles of drinking water with his bowser delivery.  That got me to Winton, which in complete contrast was the most wonderful  and accommodating airfield I have ever visited. I  subsequently wrote to  the major  and council to thank  and commend the caretakers at the airfield  for their amazing service.

 

I still find it hard to believe  the authorities would deny a passing pilot drinking water on a blistering day.... 

 

Alan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

The "system" doesn't work when that sort of thing can happen. The ASIC thing was BS from the beginning. One notable CASA spokesperson said "NO plane would be able to get off the ground without one" . at the introduction of it. A series of "what if's" should be used to PROVE the system before they bring down the gauntlet and certain restrictive legislation should have sunset clauses and only continued IF it's considered they are still required and "fit for Purpose" .Nev

[Yenn]

Not at all uncommon. Gladstone used to be very hard to deal with, so much so that I no linger get my fuel there. They are just too much trouble.

[andy310r]

A few in the SEQ area...

 

Kooralbyn. Long runway (1200m?) but with high stuff at each threshold making a good chunk of it unusable. Often lots of roos. Can be sporting with a northerly wind due terrain. Landing a 310 there focuses the mind, but that's because of the speed you come over the (high) trees at the threshold!

 

Agnes Water. Surrounded by trees and some terrain so wind can be an issue. Stayed the weekend in 1770. Nice spot.

 

Archer Falls. Good condition, bit of a slope and best treated as one-way (and with a lot of respect) due to a big hill at the end of the strip. Privately owned, owner is awesome and makes good coffee!

 

Dunwich (North Stradbroke isl). Often windy and a slope. Interesting terrain in the circuit.

 

Hamilton Island. Actually this one's not difficult... I just messed it up by flicking what I thought was the autopilot master off on left base for rwy 14... instead turned the avionics off. Identical switches next to each other. Wondered why everything went dark, realised what an idiot I'd been, switched avionics back on, apologised to the tower for going quiet, then messed up a perfectly good landing by flat-spotting a tyre while braking. Don't even ask why I was braking on a runway that length as I don't have an answer 🤪. Spectacular scenery.

 

[pmccarthy]

Apolo Bay if you are not familiar. Uphill strip, strong onshore winds much of the time.

[Yenn]

Agnes Water is way better now than it used to be. The only thing to watch there is to not be fooled into thinking it better to take off away from the hills when there is no wind at the windsock. It could be blowing quite hard above the tree tops. Steady Sou Easter usually.

[440032]

Flew into a friend's property north of Sunbury, taxied into the back yard and parked near the back door, almost under the hills hoist.

[NT5224]

31 minutes ago, 440032 said:

Flew into a friend's property north of Sunbury, taxied into the back yard and parked near the back door, almost under the hills hoist.

 

How long/ wide was the strip and what were the surrounding clearances?

 

Just curious...

[Jase T]

Wakunai on Bougainville Island..... 

Quote

 

 

[Jaba-who]

Lakeland Downs in FNQ 

Early Dry season, grass was a bit long but OK, and all brown. Landed a bit fast and had the original Jabiru brakes so not much use. Suddenly I was in among a huge mob of wallabies that had merged into the grass and suddenly they were going in all directions. Suddenly out the other side of the mob. 
No idea how I managed to avoid hitting any of them. 

[440032]

On 18/11/2020 at 5:03 PM, NT5224 said:

 

How long/ wide was the strip and what were the surrounding clearances?

Just curious...

600+ metres, 30+m wide, no problems at all. 1nm OCTA. Even the clothes line was above my canopy.

[poteroo]

Ompkali, Eastern Highlands, PNG (1969) in PA-23-250Turbo C.  Twas around 15% and absolutely no go round off final. Over 5000'if I remember.  Talair used to fly C402s and Barons into there. Needed near full power to get up the last bit onto the ledge that served as the parking area.

 

The other frightener was Keglsugl, 8400 amsl and the highest strip in PNG.