Every Pilot's Least Favorite U.S. Airports To Fly Into
By NICK VRCHOTICKY
As pilot Brian Teeter points out, this airport is high in the mountains. The runway is short and prone to crosswinds, making precise procedures difficult.
Catalina Island Airport
For pilots to land on the plateau, they must bring their planes lower to the runway than they're used to, although some say they enjoy the challenge.
This airport near Charleston, West Virginia, can be troublesome for pilots as its mountainous terrain has little room for long runways and easy descents.
Yeager Airport
Reddit user TRex_N_Truex says Yeager's runway is filled with bumps that can make for a rough landing. As it's positioned tightly between two cliffs, errors can be catastrophic.
Pilots loathe this airport in Santa Ana, California. Its abnormally short runway and high air traffic have it labeled as the scariest airport in the world.
John Wayne Airport
You can't fly too close to other planes, and the runway has alarms that go off if certain sound procedures aren't followed, which can subject the airline to fines.
Take-offs must be significantly steeper, and landings require slamming on the brakes. Everything on the short runway is fast and hard, and it scares the crap out of passengers.
Pilots are going in and out of this airport virtually nonstop. The city's many hills make flying tricky, but the poorly placed parking garage is a real issue.
San Diego Airport
Quora user Peter Kosen quipped, "They recently built that parking garage right in the way of the main runway just so pilots can earn bonus points for missing it on the way down..."
This is the highest airport in the country for commercial flights in terms of altitude, and its height and surrounding cliffs make the air choppy.
Telluride Regional Airport
JetOptions says about 20% of flights here are redirected due to quickly changing and hazardous weather. A Quora commentator says the landing strip is slightly tilted and sags.