153 replies to this topic

[Fsimfan]

I started looking for challenges in FS2004 that would pack a heck of an adrenaline rush. Any of you feel the same? I was intrigued after reading about this airport in the Himalayan mountains in Nepal on the web, and I decided to try it in FS. Whoa, you won't be dissapointed! Here is the experience of one traveler describing his real life harrowing experience landing at the actual Lukla:

"We were flying to a small village called Lukla (elevation 9350 ft.), about a 30 minute flight northeast of Kathmandu... The airport is famous for its miniature runway: on one end is a sheer cliff and the other end is a rock face...

When you land, you think you are going to smash into the wall.  When you take off, you are thinking that the plane will never make it in time and it will just drop off the edge and get added to a heap of planes that you assume is already at the bottom of that cliff.

As we landed the pilot slammed on the brakes and everyone held their breath as we sped towards the rock face. Right when we thought we were doomed he turned the plane and we careened onto a small loading area at the side nearly taking out all the villagers lined up along the edges of the runway. As we rolled to a stop all the passengers cheered and applauded."
( http://www.plunk.org.../narrative.html )

The airport was constructed by  Sir Edmund Hillary who was the first person to climb Mt. Everest.  Lukla has now become a commercial area with tons of tourists headed towards the Mt. Everest area.  The runway is actually at a 10 degree slope, and this is one of the few airports where when you approach, you're at a lower altitude than the runway threshold!  ( Of course this slope won't be present in FS, and although FS shows this as a grass strip, the real airport was paved recently).

So how good of a pilot are you, ready for the challenge?  This airport is over 9000 feet in altitude with mountains all around blocking a straight in approach.  I suggest trying it with the smaller aircraft first then working your way up. I just barely made it with the 737, and my hands were shaking!  If you're craving the adrenaline rush, whoa boy, this is it!    If you can make it with larger planes, hats off to you!!

City: Lukla
Country: Nepal
Airport ID: VNLK

Good luck! Post and let us see your attempts here!

Here are some shots of Lukla airport:








Here is a picture of the real Lukla airport.

Edited by fsimfan, 12 June 2004 - 09:02 PM.

[Fsimfan]

Compare a real picture of Lukla with FS.  Note the level of accuracy of the mountains in FS.

(The real pic is from

http://www.adventuro...s/Image198.html )

Do you see my plane attempting to land in the FS shot?  

Edited by fsimfan, 12 June 2004 - 08:59 PM.

[Fsimfan]

If anybody knows of an even more challenging or more dangerous airport, let us know!

[agoof02]

thats wild

there was actually an airport inside an extinct volcano/crater, to take off you had to pull back to much, and you thought you were going to stall, and to land, you have to nosedive and then pull back hard so you don't crash, and it was like that on either side, and it was a grass airport too.

I'll see if i can find the ID, if i can i'll get it to ya.

Edited by agoof02, 12 June 2004 - 08:58 PM.

[Scott J.]

Try flying into dutch harbor in bad visibility and a crosswind.

[Fsimfan]

agoof02, on Jun 12 2004, 08:56 PM, said:

thats wild

there was actually an airport inside an extinct volcano/crater, to take off you had to pull back to much, and you thought you were going to stall, and to land, you have to nosedive and then pull back hard so you don't crash, and it was like that on either side, and it was a grass airport too.

I'll see if i can find the ID, if i can i'll get it to ya.

Yeah thanks! I need more challenges!  

[agoof02]

Found it, the airport ID is SESM.  Oh, its not a grass runway either...

good luck  

Edited by agoof02, 12 June 2004 - 09:11 PM.

[Pilot_recruit]

Well, dangerous landing
Do you know Juneau Int airport (PAJN) ???
Here it's :

How do you think about Rio Amazonas (SESM) ???

[Fsimfan]

agoof02, on Jun 12 2004, 09:10 PM, said:

Found it, the airport ID is SESM.  Oh, its not a grass runway either...

good luck  

Thanks, I'm gonna do it now!

[agoof02]

The roads goin up and down the thing crack me up the most :-P  

[Fsimfan]

Pilot_recruit, on Jun 12 2004, 09:13 PM, said:

Do you know Juneau Int airport (PAJN) ???
How do you think about Rio Amazonas (SESM) ???

I agree with you on Juneau, but don't you think Rio Amazonas is actually an error in FS?

[Fsimfan]

agoof02, on Jun 12 2004, 09:18 PM, said:

The roads goin up and down the thing crack me up the most :-P  

Yea!  I wouldn't wanna be the poor schmuck who took a bus down there!!  

[agoof02]

Or a Cog-Rail roller coaster!  

[agoof02]

http://www.dangerous...rts.com/dad.htm

[Fsimfan]

SESM takes the cake in FS!!  How would you ever land in that hole?!?!?  

[l33t_fly3r]

I think I already been to that Lukla airport.

[painterman]

Name an airport, its dangerous for me lol    

You guys are terrific......good article.....

[flightstar11]

LAKO is another one

[Pilot_recruit]

Quote

I agree with you on Juneau, but don't you think Rio Amazonas is actually an error in FS?

Yeah, I don't think SESM is very dangerous Maybe some wrong in FS

[IBtheSarge]

fsimfan, on Jun 12 2004, 09:50 PM, said:

Here is the experience of one traveler describing his real life harrowing experience landing at the actual Lukla:

That looks a LOT like Baguio in the Philippines ...

Don't know if FS9 has it (haven't looked yet), but if it does, you might want to try landing on Corrigidor in Manila Bay.