Scary Landings At National Airport
‘Gravelly Point – Competing Transportation – 12-29-08′
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’
Travel + Leisure Magazine recently named the runway at Regan National Airport the third scariest in the world. Calling our airspace “fraught with peril” and taking-off “a white-knuckle event”, Travel + Leisure apparently shudders at flying into and out of DC. I too have heard people express fright at our airport, I’ve even heard a pilot call the landing at DCA one of the toughest, “makes sure you’re awake” he said.
But the third scariest? I was terrified flying into Charleston, West Virginia in heavy winds on a prop plane earlier this year, and would call that much more scary than the decent into NoVa. I’ve also had a crazy landing on a dirt runway at the airport in the Bahamas, and my boss tells a story about an airport in the South Pacific that had a wrecked plane wing as the rain shelter, with a cow pasture serving as the runway.
So, what do you think? Is DC really the third scariest runway in the world, or is Travel + Leisure just being a drama queen?
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10 Responses to “Scary Landings At National Airport”
May 11th, 2009 at 10:19 am
That seems really extreme to me. I’ve flown in and out of DCA many times and I’ve never been scared during the landing.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:34 am
The approach into DCA is commonly cited as being one of the most difficult and stressful for pilots for all the reasons T&L lists. I don’t think it’s that scary for passengers, if for no other reason that an experienced airline pilot knows enough to concentrate and do it properly, but that doesn’t mean the pilot isn’t sweatin’ it in the cockpit.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Funny I was at the park yesterday (Sunday) and was watching planes take off and land. It was pretty neat watching them manage the enormous crosswinds!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am
DCA scary? Nah!!! In comparison of the runways that literally fall off mountains – I will take DCA any day. I agree it can be stressful to land and watch (I see planes daily during my commute pass the Pentagon) but not scary.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I’m more scared of plane landings in San Diego (SAN) than at DCA. IIRC, when I last few into SAN, the plane flew low over some buildings before landing on the runway. That really rather freaked me out.
May 11th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
The Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, #2 on The World’s Scariest Runways, is actually scarier for those on the ground instead of those in the plane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpPJdDNHRKc
May 11th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
The St Maarten airport was crazy both to land at as well as watch airplanes land while standing on the beach! It’s such a short runway and there are some huge planes that land there, the planes have to break so hard once they’re on the ground in order to stop before the end of the runway!
May 11th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
LaGuardia is definitely scarier than DCA.
May 11th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Boston is pretty interesting too- it used to be that they let people fish from boats next to the runways, right next to the water- so while you landed, you couldn’t see the runway under you- just water… and boat masts.
I’m not one to question the pilot, but, ah… we’re clear this thing isn’t a floatplane, right cap’n? ;)
May 11th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I fly SAN to DCA every 2 or 3 months, and it’s an absolutely fun ride! But no way that it’s scarier than number 5…….