joi, 10 februarie 2011

The Tegucigalpa approach

American Airlines Boeing 757 circles to land at the Tegucigalpa, Honduras airport. Nicely done, AA.

For pilots of large aircraft this is one of the most
challenging approaches in the world. Mountainous terrain in all directions and a small hill at the approach end of the runway (which can give pilots the desire to want to fly much higher than they should--that results in bad stuff--too fast approach speeds and longer touchdown points). Now, throw in some crosswinds. In addition, the runway is only 5,800 feet long and has a 1% downslope with a cliff at the end. Perfect.