The CIX VFR Club Lukla Airport
Club Events - Lukla Escape
Taking Climbers to Safety in the Himalayas
Home > Monthly Events 2019 > Lukla Escape
Briefing April 2019
Overview Content
Start Time and Place This event will take place on Wednesday 10th April 2019 starting at 19:00 hrs UDT using the VATSIM or IVAO network. However, if you choose IVAO, it may well be that you have no company.
Airmanship There are a number of rules for both airfields. All participants are requested to fully research the flight requirements before the event.
Flight Planning To add realism to the turnaround time, The Club “STAR” will only be awarded for departure from VNLK to VQPR on Wednesday 10th April 2019 1930Z. As normal, any dispensation or exceptions to this must be sought prior to the day of the event via the Management Team.
Two flight plans will be required to be submitted:
  1. Tumlingtar VNTR – Lukla VNLK
  2. Lukla VNLK – Paro VQPR
Flight comments should include /V/ DAYLIGHT / CIX VFR CLUB /
Scenery https://secure.simmarket.com/aerosoft-fsdg-paro-fsx-p3d-(download).phtml
https://store.x-plane.org/VQPR-Paro-Intl-Airport-BHUTAN_p_715.html
Some freeware: http://www.vf-air.com/FSX2.htm
Check you have Paro VQPR as it isn’t in Plan-G so anyone installing the scenery will have to rerun Plan-G's database builder before the flight.
Videos worth watching Landing at Lukla
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqgZvb37NX0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcjwaDUn3fg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfAw8ulhTiQ
Landing at Paro
Videos posted online showing the steep descents onto the runway by those planes attract serious praise for the pilots. One person wrote: 'Goodness gracious!! I thought this kind of landing would've been possible only in FlightSim, because aviation safety rules would've disallowed it - especially seeing how close the aircraft gets to the hill.'
Runway 33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7_KytXETT0
Runway 15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsZqN-uEgQU
> FSX Runway 15 Briefing & Approach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jnPtYmXPSM
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXWTqufiu50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-b5uJ2vtdA
Weather and other hazards

The author has provided the following information:
VNTR Tumlingtar Airport is an airport serving Tumlingtar, a city in Nepal. Note ORBX Users: It may be required to disable VNTR in Vector due to Airfield Elevations (check before flight to avoid disappointment)! Before flight, spawn at VNTR to ensure correct.
VNLK Lukla Airport also known Tenzing–Hillary Airport is a small airport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu, Solukhumbu District, Province No. 1, Eastern Nepal. The program Most Extreme Airports, broadcast on The History Channel in 2010, rated the airport as the most dangerous airport in the world for over 20 years. The airport is popular because Lukla is the place where most people start the climb to Mount Everest Base Camp. There are daily flights between Lukla and Kathmandu during daylight hours in good weather. Although the flying distance is short, rain commonly occurs in Lukla while the sun is shining brightly in Kathmandu. High winds, cloud cover, and changing visibility often mean flights can be delayed or the airport closed. The airport is contained within a chain link fence and patrolled by the Nepali armed police or civil police around the clock.
Lukla Airport is frequently referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world. Arriving and departing aircraft must use a single runway. There is a very low prospect of a successful go-around on short final due to the terrain. Due to the difficulties of successfully landing at the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal sets high standards, for which only experienced pilots, who completed at least 100 short-take-off-and-landing (STOL) missions, have over one year of STOL experience in Nepal and completed ten missions into Lukla with a certified instructor pilot, are allowed to land at the airport…. On RW 06!…We are lucky as we have Len to certify us!!!
VQPR Paro Airportis located 6 km from Paro in a deep valley on the bank of the river Paro Chhu and is the only international airport of the four airports in the Kingdom of Bhutan. It requires pilots to have a special certificate before they can be allowed to land into Paro Airport due to the complexity (2011 there were only 8 qualified)! It is nestled among the steep mountains of the Himalayas and surrounded by natural beauty which makes flying to Paro quite the scenic experience. Deep in a valley 2,235m (7,332ft) 1.5 miles above sea level with surrounding peaks as high as 5,500m (18,000ft), it is considered one of the world's most challenging airports if not one of the most dangerous in the world. Even the runway is just 6,500ft long - one of the few runways in the world that the elevation is shorter than their height above sea level.
Flights to and from Paro Airport are only allowed under VMC and are restricted to daylight hours between sunrise and sunset. Despite the perilous conditions, the views over the clear blue waters over the Paro River and the lush green foliage of the Himalayas are breath-taking. Anybody flying to Paro must first land in neighbouring countries then catch a connecting flight. Planes have to weave through the dozens of houses that are scattered across the mountainside - coming within feet of clipping the roofs. Strong winds whip through the valleys, often resulting in severe turbulence.

What Aircraft can I fly Club members should fly an aircraft capable of flying 160kts at 16500ft. Dehavilland Canada Twin Otters and Dornier DO228’s are the regular frequenters to Lukla, but these are not mandatory. It is requested for authenticity, aircraft should leave VNTR at MAX weight to simulate food and water supplies going into Lukla, then leave Lukla with a weight (according to aircraft) of 90Kg per climber they can take.
Plan-G/
LittleNavmap
Flight plans are not provided for this event.
ATC At the time of publishing this event plan, ATC has been requested but not confirmed.  Check the forum for details on the day.
Radio Discipline Take care not to let our Teamspeak chat cut across ATC. Stop any conversation immediately the R/T comes alive, then continue if "he wasn't talking to us". This is difficult because when transmitting on Teamspeak you can't hear the R/T. So be brief on Teamspeak, and be aware that ATC might be trying to get through. If anyone hears an R/T message which seems to be being ignored, just say "ATC is calling G-CIXN" if you have identified the callsign, or "ATC is calling us" which is a cue for everyone to be quiet on Teamspeak until ATC call again (which they will). Remember too that if asked to "Stand By" by ATC, you do not reply - not even "Roger", but simply wait until you are called again.
Remember also that there are several different ATC frequencies in use, and you may not be able to hear when communications are taking place. Make sure you have set and know how to use a Teamspeak mute switch.
Acknowledgements Event planning: Dan Cooper
Briefing: Dan Cooper, Peter Dodds.
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