I want to do the whole thing in one plane and I don't want to take too many years doing it so whatever I choose will have to be reasonably fast, and it will involve ocean crossings so whatever I choose will need to be reasonably large to have the range for that. So that probably means an airliner. But there's a small problem with that. Or, rather, a short problem.
Not all of those 221 regions will have airliner sized runways. So my first task is to make a list of the 221 regions and in each one either pick an airport with a decent long runway, or if there isn't one, pick the airport with the longest short runway. Then when I know the shortest runway I'm going to have to squeeze in and out of I can choose what to fly.
I'm down the list as far as Eritrea so far, and while there are some that give me cause for concern (Paro in Bhutan, 6500' runway at 7500' altitude comes to mind) the only one that has actually looked like being a problem so far was a little dot on the map called Anguila Island - TQPF.
It's only ~10nm from the famous TNCM and that's on my list for sure, but this one's in a different region. And it's the only airport in the region, so I can't avoid it. The runway is a whopping 3,581 feet long. Luckily it's more or less at sea level.
That seemed like it could be a problem, so I did some tests to see just what I could shoehorn in and out of a 3500' runway. Here's the answer.
Bring out the tractor please, and push me right back to the end of the tarmac
That looks awfully short ...
Oi, piece of cake !
So I can get out alright, now to see if I can land there in the first place ...
What airport ? There's an airport there ?
Easy in a Boeing, you just adjust the vert speed until the green arc is on the start of the runway
Hold tight ...
... this is going to be ...
... an ARRIVAL !!! Right on the centreline which I'm rather proud of, and notice the smoke off the nose gear as well as the main gear ? That's as close to a three point landing as you get in a 767
Now the fun starts. Full reverse and max autobrakes, and reverse used virtually until the plane was stationary. I'd have opened the windows and stuck my hands out if I thought it would have helped
Golly, that was exciting ! I think I'll sit here for a while and let the fire in the brakes burn itself out.
So there's the answer - with 3581 feet of runway to play with, it's possible to get a basically empty 767 in and out. And empty will do me fine - as I said, it's only 10 miles each way to and from this flyspeck.
Cheers
Gary
