Most challenging grass strips and runways

If you want to know what challenging strips are, try some of the more remote strips in the Alps…………

Dimme wrote:

Having said that, they probably have had better days with shorter grass. The staff was, however, very friendly and helpful. Would I go back? Probably not.

Konstanz has massively improved by using the perfo system: http://www.perfoplatten.de/galerie/flugplatzkonstanz.html

Ithwiesen is a very interesting field to approach:

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Peter wrote:

The place which could be most challenging in some crosswind would be Kastelorizo LGKJ, done on this trip in 2018 and shown in this video

I like dramatic western movie style of music on landing

Pilot_DAR wrote:

One of my most challenging was Dalsoyra, Norway, with a very challenging approach to a down slope runway, which was 40 feet longer than the landing roll distance for the plane. I walked it that morning before making the landing

Prop. reverse is cheating….

Stickandrudderman wrote:

If you want to know what challenging strips are, try some of the more remote strips in the Alps…

Absolutely! The most difficult strip where I landed on was here:



But there are more of those in the Alps. And it doesn’t have to be that exciting, regular GA-airfields in the Alps can also be challenging, like for example Bad Ragaz (LSZE), Ambri (LSPM) or Reutte (LOIR). Those are not recommended to fly to if you don’t have some basic alpine experience/knowledge.

I think there are two categories: those which have a difficult runway, and those which have a difficult approach.

I have flown over Ambri lots of times and it would be dead easy to get in and out of, but you need to be able to fly a plane properly, not just fly the B52 circuits like one is taught in the PPL

Here an unedited video of one of my approaches into Ambri (LSPM). It’s really nice, but be aware of downdrafts all the time, especially on the downwind to final turn above Ambri with northern wind.

Peter wrote:

The worst places I have been to were Spanhoe which I did c. 2006 and which was covered in rocks of which I had to kick the worst ones out of the way before departing (most people based there clearly didn’t like each other so nobody would go out and buy a broom; I am told it has since improved)

Everyone I know at Spanhoe gets on just fine with each other, there’s no FOD on the runway, and a very nicely kept grass runway. They have also been building new hangars. It’s where my LAA inspector lives.

Frans wrote:

Here an unedited video of one of my approaches into Ambri (LSPM)

Awesome, thanks for posting this.

Some of the more challenging airfields I fly to are those bush airstrips in Africa that are “officially” there, but have not been maintained for “some” time. Of course, I will take care to get the permission from the landowner and insurance company to land there and if possible ask the landowner or a farmer to flatten the “runway” or at least to check for potholes. The landing is often no problem. It is getting off the runway again that can be challenging as the sand might be loose sand and you need lots and lots of runway to get loose. Sometimes it would be too hot and we would wait for the next early morning to depart.

Flying to this remote bush airstrip, then camping underneath the wings in a small tent to then wake up to the roars of lions nearby is an exiting thing. One early morning I woke up and found a lion licking the water from my small tent roof!