Denver airport runway full#
The full and current list is classified for operational security reasons, but you can find old versions of the list that is probably still 95% the same. However, they do have a mixture of military and civilian airports for the designated ELS sites. They had to make some adjustments to the oxygen system to prevent that from happening on future flights to LPB. According to the story, on the first flight, when the EA 727 parked at the gate at LPB and the cabin door was opened, all the oxygen masks dropped, as the airport altitude is above the usual altitude where oxygen would be required if the aircraft was airborne. EA initially used a B727 from MIA to LPB with a couple of en route stops. Re LPB, I recall a story (whether true or not I don't know) many years ago when Eastern acquired Braniff's South America routes after BN went bankrupt and shut down (a few years before EA did the same thing and the routes were acquired by AA). were used before it lifted off, and the whole aircraft seemed to shudder for about 5 seconds just after liftoff like it really didn't want to fly (I was in the upper deck). It seemed like almost all of the 12,966 ft. I recall departing MEX on a KLM 744 (combi) nonstop to AMS last year, about an 11 hour flight. LPB - La Paz, Bolivia, altitude 13,325 ft, longest runway 13,123 ft. UIO - Quito, Ecuador, altitude 9,228 ft, longest runway 10,236 ft. MEX -Mexico City, altitude 7,316 ft, longest runway 12,966 ft Many airports at much higher altitudes than DEN probably wish they had the luxury of a 16,000 ft.
except (ironically) the shortest runway which is 200 ft. width in the US, although some US commercial runways are 200 ft. The other 5 runways are all 12,000 x 150 ft.īy the way, almost all major airport runways in Canada are 200 ft. 195-200 knots - faster than normal traffic that lands.ĭEN's 16,000 footer is also the only DEN runway that's 200 feet wide. Do, however, keep in mind that the Shuttle touches down at approx. But at 16,000 ft in length, it's possible, I suppose. NASA just has designated ELS sites since they have trained personnel, procedures, equipment, capacity, facilities, in a suitable location reachable during launch or from orbit, amongst other factors for selection.īut if it came to the worst and the Shuttle couldn't reach a ELS site, then, well, sure, they can dial into VORTACs and give it their best shot at reaching an airport with a suitable runway along their path they can make, ELS or not.ĭenver in the summer would probably not be such so fun. In a pinch, a lot more airports could serve as landing sites. They have closed or discontinued use of ELS sites at locations that appears to be risky (politics or security-wise) such as Banjul (BYD) in the Gambia. (For instance, they don't operate ELS sites in politically risky locations.) Outside the U.S., they take what they can get, within reason. military sites for ELS locations because easier to secure as well as less inconvenience to civilian air traffic. Not sure how much longer you'd need at a high altitude place like Denver. For instance, Stockholm Arlanda ( ARN / ESSA) is a designated ELS site.įor a sea level airport, the Space Shuttle normally needs only about 6000 ft of runway assuming normal braking conditions, touchdown point, speed, etc. such as Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, TAL to places in Spain, Morocco, and elsewhere, and general ELS sites for emergency landings from orbit. You've got RTLS back to KSC, ECAL to places up the east coast of the U.S. There are very few in the world that can, and very few that are needed anyway.Īh, there are literally dozens of ELS (emergency landing site) locations all over the world.