Altiport

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Alpe d'Huez Airport with sloped runway Altiport Henri Giraud Alpe d Huez LFHU big.jpg
Alpe d'Huez Airport with sloped runway

An altiport is an aerodrome for small airplanes and helicopters, situated on or within mountainous terrain. Altiports are generally characterized by having a runway with an atypical slope to fit in the local topography. Ultimately, this slope helps aircraft decelerating when landing and assists acceleration during takeoff. High altitude results in less lift available to aircraft wings, which requires aircraft to achieve higher speed at takeoff and landing. Such airfields with unusual physical characteristics are frequent in regions such as the French Alps, [1] Himalayan regions, as well as Pacific islands.

Contents

Definitions

According to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Document 9150: STOLport Manual: "An altiport may be defined as a small airport in a mountainous area with a steep gradient runway, used for landing up the slope and for take-off down the slope, thereby making use of only one approach/departure area." [2]

According to the former French Technical Instruction on Civil Aerodromes (ITAC) of 2000, an altiport is specifically designed for serving mountainous regions. It features a steep runway that has a single approach / departure path. The runway ends with a section that has a lower slope, as well as an apron with aircraft stands. An altisurface is defined as a graded area that is not an aerodrome but that can be used as a steep runway with a single approach / departure path. [3]

List of altiports

Courchevel Altiport, showing the sloped runway Altiport Courchevel2.jpg
Courchevel Altiport, showing the sloped runway
AltiportCountry
Alpe d'Huez Airport France
Courchevel Altiport France
Corlier Aerodrome France
La Motte-Chalancon Airport  [ fr ]France
Megève Altiport France
Méribel Altiport France
Peyresourde-Balestas Altiport  [ fr ]France
Ua Pou Airport French Polynesia (France)
Koro Airport Fiji
Tenzing-Hillary Airport Nepal


Notes

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runway</span> Area of surface used by aircraft to takeoff from and land on

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">STOL</span> Class of airplanes that are designed to takeoff and land in a short distance

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instrument landing system</span> Ground-based visual aid for landing

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heliport</span> Airport designed for helicopter use

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Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Articles related to aviation include:

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A maneuvering area is that part of an aerodrome to be used by aircraft for takeoff, landing, and taxiing, excluding aprons and areas designed for maintenance of an aircraft.

A STOLport or STOLPORT was an airport designed with STOL operations in mind, usually for an aircraft class of a certain weight and size. The term "STOLport" did not appear to be in common usage as of 2008, although was commonly used by pilots flying into Biggin Hill during 1986/87 when the London City Airport was opened restricting approaches and ceilings to the north of Biggin. A STOLport usually has a short single runway, generally shorter than 1,500 m (5,000 ft). STOLports are only practicable by certain types of aircraft, especially smaller propeller aircraft, with performances that are compatible with the shorter runway length, steeper approach/departure paths, etc. at individual STOLports. In the United States, short runway facilities are simply known as airports, and the term "STOLport" has not been commonly used since the early 1970s.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runway safety area</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustique Airport</span> Airport in Mustique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courchevel Altiport</span> Dangerous airport in Courchevel, France

Courchevel Altiport is an altiport serving Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps. The airfield has a very short runway of only 537 metres (1,762 ft) with a gradient of 18.6%. There is no go-around procedure for landings at Courchevel due to the surrounding mountainous terrain. The airfield primarily sees use by smaller fixed-wing aircraft such as the Cessna 208 Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, as well as helicopters. The runway has no instrument approach procedure or lighting aids, making landing in fog or low clouds unsafe and almost impossible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Méribel Altiport</span> Airport in Les Allues

Méribel Altiport, is an altiport in Les Allues, a commune in Savoie, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Island Airport</span> Airport in Clifton

Union Island Airport is the airport serving Union Island, Grenadines Parish, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It is located about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from the town of Clifton, one of the country's main tourist centers and a major destination for charter leisure flights during the winter holiday season and Easter, for "Easterval" celebration. The airport serves as a focus city for flag carrier SVG Air and features flights to several short-haul regional destinations. It is the southmost airport of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

References

  1. Flying Magazine, November 1975, page 5
  2. ICAO (1991). "STOLport Manual", Foreword, Document 9150, 2nd edition, page iii
  3. DGAC (2000). "Instruction technique sur les aérodromes civils" (ITAC), Chapitre 13 : Aérodromes à caractéristiques spéciales, 13-1 Altiports, page 13-3