Driven across it too, very scary but Gibraltar is a lovely place would love to go back. Also the Gibraltar national football stadium, tidy little ground but makes Welling United look huge! Shame they can't compete in the WC and Euro qualifiers but Spain won't have it.
Flown there many times. Not as bad as you think. Just like a level crossing really. If there is any wind of of any substance then you get re-reouted to Malaga which is a real pain.
Flown there a couple of times – never been a great lover of flying but over the years got used it until I flew to GIB.
An uneventful flight and I was working way on my laptop until asked to do the usual in preparation for landing. Just put everything away – tray table up and pulled up window screen.
Glanced out of the window as we had started to descend – and noticed though we had been descending for a few moments we still seemed still to be over the water and perilously close (low) to it as well. At that point the plane went into a steep climb. The silence was audible – and it was a bloody long climb with that bloody great rock in front of you.
It seemed ages before the pilot finally leveled out and cheerily came on the speaker “sorry everybody wind playing a few tricks” we’ll just go round again.
He did and landed OK to tumultuous applause – which even then seemed to be a bit premature because it was a fast landing on a short runway.
My mood of relief was not enhanced however when the taxi driver taking me to the hotel having watched the whole episode thought the pilot must have been a complete novice because the wind was not that bad.
Took a while to get back in the flying groove after that although had a even worse experience taking off from Mexico City.
Gibraltar itself though was a very nice place – really enjoyed my visits there.
[cite]Posted By: SE10Addick[/cite]When you'r halfway across and the light start flashing that they are going to close the road, you dont half sh*t yourself!!
No fooling. Our kid didn't like it one little bit.
the landing at kai tak in hong kong was a bit hairy, you came over the mountains then over the harbour chuck a hard right then followed a very narrow path literally between high rise apartments which you could almost see inside at eye level before landing on the strip on the harbour.
Flown there many a time - have had a couple of 'incidents' where the landing has had to be aborted... It's pretty bumpy at the best of times and when there is some wind...hmmmm
Not keen on Gibralter itself, but going inside the rock is great (there's a great concert auditorium), as is going over the top of it... Otherwise, it's the cheapest place on earth for booze, fags, electrical gear etc and the duty free shop in the airport is the cheapest of the lot...
Landing at New York La Guardia was interesting too. Glanced out of the window to see us low down and all I could see was water. Little yank kid behind pipes up (in that dumb accent) "Mom, I dont think we're gonna make it". Just what we needed to hear.
[cite]Posted By: ThreadKiller[/cite]the landing at kai tak in hong kong was a bit hairy, you came over the mountains then over the harbour chuck a hard right then followed a very narrow path literally between high rise apartments which you could almost see inside at eye level before landing on the strip on the harbour.
That airport has closed hasn't it? we flew into the new one when we visited HK I was looking forward to that airport landing and was disappointed that we didnt.
I've walked the Gibraltar runway crossing, which is actually a bit of a treat when you realize what you're doing. It's not everyday you get to cross a runway on foot!
I've also been lucky enough to fly into both Kai Tak and Chek Lap Kok (sic?) in Hong Kong, and although the new airport is truly world-class, it's nowhere near as exciting. I consider landing at the old airport a significant check that I've been able to make off life's list...check out the numerous clips on youtube. They don't do it justice.
We have driven and walked across a few times, Gib is a great place to visit for a couple of days, very friendly people and a real melting pot of cultures who all seem to get on well with each other.
Check this sucker out. St. Maarten in the Dutch Antilles. Mate flew into there a couple of years back - he said the braking on the runway when you touch down is absolutely insane.
A personal hated airport of mine is Punta Raisi (Falcone e Borsellino) in Palermo. Typical Sicilians: "I know - lets build the fricking airport next to a goddamn mountain just for the hell of it..."
I fly into Calgary from Vancouver/Victoria/Seattle at least once a month, descending over the Rockies into Calgary is always a bumpy old ride thanks to the updrafts from the mountains. Even now after doing it probably 40 - 50 times its still a seat-gripping experience when the wind is whipping over those peaks & the pilot is trying to dodge the enormous thunderclouds that develop where prairie meets mountain!!
Comments
When you'r halfway across and the light start flashing that they are going to close the road, you dont half sh*t yourself!!
Great...not, walking across myself in early September, looking forward to it :-)
An uneventful flight and I was working way on my laptop until asked to do the usual in preparation for landing. Just put everything away – tray table up and pulled up window screen.
Glanced out of the window as we had started to descend – and noticed though we had been descending for a few moments we still seemed still to be over the water and perilously close (low) to it as well. At that point the plane went into a steep climb. The silence was audible – and it was a bloody long climb with that bloody great rock in front of you.
It seemed ages before the pilot finally leveled out and cheerily came on the speaker “sorry everybody wind playing a few tricks” we’ll just go round again.
He did and landed OK to tumultuous applause – which even then seemed to be a bit premature because it was a fast landing on a short runway.
My mood of relief was not enhanced however when the taxi driver taking me to the hotel having watched the whole episode thought the pilot must have been a complete novice because the wind was not that bad.
Took a while to get back in the flying groove after that although had a even worse experience taking off from Mexico City.
Gibraltar itself though was a very nice place – really enjoyed my visits there.
Grapevine 49
No fooling. Our kid didn't like it one little bit.
Not keen on Gibralter itself, but going inside the rock is great (there's a great concert auditorium), as is going over the top of it... Otherwise, it's the cheapest place on earth for booze, fags, electrical gear etc and the duty free shop in the airport is the cheapest of the lot...
That airport has closed hasn't it? we flew into the new one when we visited HK I was looking forward to that airport landing and was disappointed that we didnt.
I've also been lucky enough to fly into both Kai Tak and Chek Lap Kok (sic?) in Hong Kong, and although the new airport is truly world-class, it's nowhere near as exciting. I consider landing at the old airport a significant check that I've been able to make off life's list...check out the numerous clips on youtube. They don't do it justice.
Loved waving to the people in the apartments