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Lukla
Lukla
(VNLK)
Country: Nepal
City: Lukla
This is a wonderful airport in the edge of the Himalayas. If you feel like mountain flying, this is a nice challenge. It is a very beautiful airport, in the mountains, with their cliffs and forests. It's a nice little little dirt runway, 7 and 25. I wouldn't try getting anything much bigger than a Lear out of there, though. I tried getting a Lear 45 off the runway, but it didn't work too well. With 8 degrees of flaps, I ran off the steep cliff at the edge of the runway. I topped out about -3,000 feet per minute! Needless to say, my passengers probably didn't enjoy the flight. I recovered, though. I've discovered about the best default airplane in fs2004 for this airport is the Mooney. You may be thinking," What about the Skylane? Or Skyhawk? Or the Cub?" Well, they don't work all too well considering the airport elevation is 9,105 feet. If you can get a Lear out of there better than me (hehe) it would work great at those altitudes. Because it's on the edge of this Himalayas, you may want to consider altitude when choosing your plane. Being so near the Himalayas is good, too. That makes it good for a base there, since there aren't many airports there. It's on the side of a mountain by a river valley. It's in a big hole in the mountain, and to look for yourself look at the pictures I took while flying a 185 there.| Taking off in a Cessna 185 at Lukla, overlooking the cliff at the end of 25. | Climbing out off Lukla's runway 25. Now do you see what I meant about it being in a hole in the mountainside? If you don't get off the ground in time, you'll go off a cliff. |
| Still climbing out, at over 9,000 feet this is difficult in a small piston. See the cliffs by thew river valley? | While in the climb, I look at some of the scenery north up the valley. See the snowcapped mountain? Go north a little up the valley and you'll see tons of snow. |
| On short final at Lukla. I'd hate to do a go-around, I might have trouble. Taking off in this direction might be difficult, too. | Just before touchdown at Lukla. With that cliff at the end of runway 7, I make sure I can stop in time. |
| Sitting on the runway at Lukla after landing in a 185. Yes the door's open, but it's hard to tell. | |
Latest page update: made by 1tiger9
, Mar 8 2008, 3:40 PM EST
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