Most dangerous/exciting/difficult US airports?
 

Not counting the smallest airports, there is for example INN in Austria which is difficult for pilots and require special training. Which airports would be similar in the US?

I know there is LGA for example with short runways, as with SNA (which also features a steep climb) and BUR. SAN has a parking garage that will have some travellers on their toes when flying there. I've heard someone mention BHM though I don't know why that one should be added to the list.

What other airports are there?

ASE (Aspen, CO)

What about Washington National? Turning approach.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8800/4.2.1 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)

What about MDW? I've never flown out of LGB but I've heard it also has a steep climb.



I am not a pilot so my knowledge is limited.

Juneau...... you miss the turn you hit the mountain.

I heard from a friend that Colorado Springs was usually a white knuckle adventure.

OK, sorry not a US airport, but relevant...
OK, shorty history lesson here. After WWII, and West Berlin was starving d/t the Red Army blockades, the Allies started the Berlin Air Drop. They took off and landed from Tempelhof. I think it was because of the height of the surrounding buildings and the Red Army all over the outskirts.

Good one.

Drifting off-thread even further ...

Another non-US airport renowned for its difficult approach is the now-mothballed Kai Tak (Hong Kong). Check out airliners.net or jetphotos.net for a wealth of pictorial documentation on the matter.

ETA: Here are a few of my faves:

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=11253
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=48980
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=163466
http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=48640

As for exciting perhaps SFO with the close parallell approach would be a candidate?

RKV, although not in the US, is another one that requires additional certification.

I was always thrilled going in and out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. In over the ocean, out over the ocean, short runway, lovely weather.

Dangerous/exciting/difficult.....I thought this thread was going to be about the crowds and/or crime. :cool:


I'll go with MIA.

I have to admit, that one kinda surprises me (although I'm not a pilot, so it's a laypersons opinion). Other than something like being notorious for wind shear like Stapleton seemed to be, I wouldn't think there's much there to cause an issue. (However, my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I used to live pretty close to the approach path for this airport.)

I asked a similar question to a veteran pilot and he said the trickiest airport he was familiar with was Scranton/Wilkes Barre (AVP) since it's very mountainous and has a steep drop off at the end of the runway. I've never flown there, but I've seen the impressive landing lights from the highway.

I've also heard complaints about the former Cleveland and Toronto airports (in the lake).