Free Flight, Free Speech

Madeira - Runway on the poles.



Madeira International Airport Cristiano Ronaldo, commonly known as Madeira Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto da Madeira), or Funchal Airport (Aeroporto do Funchal) is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portuguese archipelago and autonomous region of Madeira. The airport is located 13.2 km (8.2 mi) east-northeast of the regional capital Funchal after which it is sometimes informally named. It mostly hosts flights to European metropolitan destinations due to the importance of Madeira as a leisure destination, and is pivotal in the movement of cargo in and out of the archipelago of Madeira. It is the fourth busiest airport in Portugal. The airport is named after Madeiran football player Cristiano Ronaldo.

The airport is considered one of the most peculiarly perilous airports in the world due to its location and its spectacular runway construction. It received the Outstanding Structure Award in 2004 by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering. The History Channel program Most Extreme Airports ranked it as the ninth most dangerous airport in the world, and the third most dangerous in Europe. Pilots must undergo additional training to land at the airport.

Madeira Airport was officially opened on 18 July 1964, with two 1,600 m (5,249 ft) runways. The first flight ever to land was a TAP Air Portugal Lockheed Constellation with 80 passengers on board. The airport was once infamous for its short runway which, surrounded by high mountains and the ocean, made it a tricky landing for even the most experienced of pilots. The original runway was only 1,600 m (5,249 ft) long, but was extended by 200 m (656 ft) 8 years after the TAP Air Portugal Flight 425 crash of 1977.

In 2000, the runway was again extended this time to 2,781 m (9,124 ft). As landfill was not a realistic option, the extension was built on a platform, partly over the ocean, supported by 180 columns, each about 70 m (230 ft) tall. The extension of Madeira Airport was conducted by the Brazilian construction company Andrade Gutierrez, and is recognized worldwide as one of the most difficult to achieve due to the type of terrain and orography.

Its innovative solution allowed Funchal to receive the Outstanding Structure Award in 2004 by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, which aims at recognizing the most remarkable, innovative, creative or otherwise stimulating structure completed within the last few years.

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_Airport


When ?
Saturday, November, 17th. 2018, 1600Z

Aircraft of the choice :
B737, A320 or similar size jet airliner
My choice - Concorde (https://github.com/BAWV12/Concorde/archive/master.zip)

Route :
Depart LXGB - Gibraltar preferred runway 09
via TNG
Arrival LPMA - Funchal
630 nm, FL300, M0.7



Approach :
We will use STAR LIDR1C , approach RNP Z rwy 05 :




Scenery :
Standard terrasync scenery, LPMA is very nice developed airport :

Gibraltar sunset :



Waiting for the event :

mmm .Tomorrow. I'll try being there. I can't be sure if I would be able to.
Hopefully!
IAHM-COL

I try to make it. Actually, I think, I maybe get my old 767-workshop out of the barn.

Gibraltar 1600Z, taxiing 737-800 :



2 birds under BA flag :





Old Lady vs LXGB 09 - will be 1780 meters enough ??? Rescue brigades should be prepared for everything...



Airborne !



Bye bye Gibraltar :



Lufthansa cargo waiting for clearance to take off :



TOGA TOGA TOGA :



... second attempt for CSAADAM :



Museum of the aviation - Boeing 707 and Pride of the British Airways - Concorde



737 landed on fuel vapours :



1928Z : Funchal, request clearance take off for IFR to JFK New York :



2219Z : KJFK 31L approach :



Big thanks to all airmens, especialy to Lester for perfect ATC. On the forums almost no feedback, but there was a serious number of pilots. Next leg will be probably from Barbados to Sint Maarten, one week before Christmas.