Road Airports

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    Engineers tasked with building an airport are faced with countless challenges: The ideal

    location needs ample space, endless flat ground, favorable winds and great visibility. Butspots in the real world are rarely ideal, and engineers are forced to work with what they

    have, making sure that the end product is the safest possible structure for pilots. A surveyof airports around the world turns up a mixed bag, ranging from dangerous and rugged

    landing strips to mega-size facilities that operate like small cities. Here, 7CL explores theworld's most remarkable airports and why they stand out.

    7. Courchevel International Airport (Courchevel, France)

    Background:

    Getting to the iconic ski resort of Courchevel requires navigating the formidable FrenchAlps before making a hair-raising landing at Courchevel International Airport. The runwayis about 1700 feet long, but the real surprise is the large hill toward the middle of the strip.

    Why It's Unique:

    "You take off downhill and you land going uphill," Schreckengast says. He adds that thehill, which has an 18.5 percent grade, is so steep that small planes could probably gain

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    enough momentum rolling down it with no engines to safely glide off the edge. Landing at

    Courchevel is obviously no easy task, so pilots are required to obtain certification before

    attempting to conquer the dangerous runway.

    6. Congonhas Airport (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

    Background:

    Most major cities have an airport, but rarely are they built just 5 miles from the city center,especially in metropolises like Sao Paulo. Congonhas' close proximity to downtown can be

    attributed in part to the fact that it was completed in 1936, with the city experiencing rapid

    development in the following decades.

    Why It's Unique:

    While having an airport only 5 miles from the city center may be a convenience for

    commuters, it places a strain on both pilots and air traffic control crews. "It becomes achallenge in terms of safety to just get the plane in there," Schreckengast says. "Then you

    throw on noise restrictions and these terribly awkward arrival and departure routes that are

    needed to minimize your noise-print and it becomes quite challenging for pilots."Fortunately, Sao Paulo's many high-rise buildings are far enough away from the airport that

    they aren't an immediate obstacle for pilots landing or taking off.

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    5. Ice Runway (Antarctica)

    Background:The Ice Runway is one of three major airstrips used to haul supplies and researchers to

    Antarctica's McMurdo Station. As its name implies, there are no paved runways herejustlong stretches of ice and snow that are meticulously groomed.

    Why It's Unique:

    There is no shortage of space on the Ice Runway, so super-size aircraft like the C-130

    Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster III can land with relative ease. The real challenge ismaking sure that the weight of the aircraft and cargo doesn't bust the ice or get the plane

    stuck in soft snow. As the ice of the runway begins to break up, planes are redirected to

    Pegasus Field or Williams Field, the two other airstrips servicing the continent.

    4. Don Mueang International Airport (Bangkok, Thailand)

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    Background:

    From a distance Don Mueang International looks like any other midsize airport. However,

    smack-dab in the middle of the two runways is an 18-hole golf course.

    Why It's Unique:

    Schreckengast, who has worked on consulting projects at this airport, says one of the majorproblems is that the only taxiways were located at the end of the runways. "Werecommended that they build an additional taxiway in the middle, from side to side, and

    they said absolutely not, that will take out a green and one fairway.'" The airport and the

    course were originally an all-military operation, but have since opened up to commercialtraffic. Security threats, however, have limited the public's access to the greens.

    3. Madeira International Airport (Madeira, Portugal)

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    Background:

    Madeira is a small island far off the coast of Portugal, which makes an airport that is

    capable of landing commercial-size aircraft vital to its development. This airport's originalrunway was only about 5000 feet long, posing a huge risk to even the most experienced

    pilots and limiting imports and tourism.

    Why It's Unique:Engineers extended the runway to more than 9000 feet by building a massive girder bridge

    atop about 200 pillars. The bridge, which itself is over 3000 feet long and 590 feet wide, is

    strong enough to handle the weight of 747s and similar jets. In 2004, the InternationalAssociation for Bridge and Structural Engineering selected the expansion project for its

    Outstanding Structure Award, noting that the design and construction was both "sensitive

    to environmental and aesthetic considerations."

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    2. Gibraltar Airport (Gibraltar)

    Background:Between Morocco and Spain sits the tiny British territory of Gibraltar. Construction of the

    airport dates back to World War II, and it continues to serve as a base for the UnitedKingdom's Royal Air Force, though commercial flights land on a daily basis.

    Why It's Unique:

    Winston Churchill Avenue, Gibraltar's busiest road, cuts directly across the runway.

    Railroad-style crossing gates hold cars back every time a plane lands or departs. "There'sessentially a mountain on one side of the island and a town on the other," Schreckengast

    says. "The runway goes from side to side on the island because it's the only flat space there,

    so it's the best they can do. It's a fairly safe operation as far as keeping people away," hesays, "It just happens to be the best place to land, so sometimes it's a road and sometimes

    it's a runway."

    1. Kansai International Airport (Osaka, Japan)

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    Background:Land is a scarce resource in Japan, so engineers headed roughly 3 miles offshore into

    Osaka Bay to build this colossal structure. Work on the manmade island started in 1987,

    and by 1994 jumbo jets were touching down. Travelers can get from the airport to the mainisland of Honshu via car, railroad or even a high-speed ferry.

    Why It's Unique:

    Kansai's artificial island is 2.5 miles long and 1.6 miles wideso large that it's visible fromspace. Earthquakes, dangerous cyclones, an unstable seabed, and sabotage attempts from

    protestors are just some of the variables engineers were forced to account for. As

    impressive as the airport is, Stewart Schreckengast, a professor of aviation technology atPurdue University and a former aviation consultant with MITRE, cautions that climate

    change and rising sea levels pose a very real threat to the airport's existence. "When this

    was built, [engineers] probably didn't account for global warming," he says. "In 50 years or

    so, this might be underwater."

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    Top 10 Worlds Most Spectacular Roads to Drive On

    Editorial Team| August 22, 2009 at 10:28 pm

    Best of the LotPrint Post | Email Post

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    Renault Marks 15 Years of Its Compact SU ...

    Going for a road trip is an excellent way to enjoy vacations. There are many roads that can

    provide one with an opportunity to see natures very best, undiluted landscape while enjoyingthe pleasure of driving along. Given below are few of the worlds best roads to drive that couldgive one a life time full of memory.

    1) North Yungas Road Bolivia Road of Death

    The North Yungas Road is also called El Camino de la Muerte which is the Spanish for Road

    of Death. It is a forty three mile road that leads to La Paz to Coroico situated 35 milesnortheast of La Paz in Bolivia. Though the road is breathtaking when seen in a picture, it can be

    a little scary and takes extreme caution to drive through the road.

    2) Atlantic Road Norway

    This is a five mile long stretch of road connecting Molde and Kristiansund in Norway. This

    road was voted as Norwegian construction of the century because it rides above some roughand uneven surfaces. The road itself rises and falls at many places like a sea at the time of

    rough tide.

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    3) Blue Ridge USA

    This Blue Ridge Parkway located in North Carolina one of the most serene roads in the world.

    It is 496 mile long stretch of road specially designed so that travelers experience the magical

    panoramic view of undiluted nature.

    4) Columbia George Highway 30 USA

    The Columbia George Highway 30 is described by many as the ultimate drive for those whoenjoy the scenic pleasure in North America. Traveling through the road might seem like

    passing through a fairly land and could invoke memories of the silver screen to life.

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    5) Guoliang Tunnel China

    Like the North Yungas in Bolivia, the Guoliang Tunnel is also situated high up in the Taihang

    Mountains in China. The tunnel passes through the side of an almost vertical section of amountain with many holes that looks likes windows. Traveling this road is extremely thrilling

    because of the seemingly bottomless cliff right next to it.

    6) Amalfi Coast Road Italy

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    This road running though the cost of Amalfi in Italy is one of the most romantic roads in theworld. The captivating view from the road is so beautiful that the road has now become a

    famous tourist attraction. The road is draped with tiny Italian villages near the coast.

    7) Three Capes Route USA

    The three capes route is located on the coast of Oregon and eventually runs into the CapeKiwanda drive. The proximity to beautiful blue sea on one side, and lush green forest on the

    other makes this road unparalleled experience that needs to be felt to understand.

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    Transfagarasan Road Romania

    This road in Romania connects the Moldoveanu and Negoiu, two of the tallest mountains inRomania located in the Carpathian Mountains. The road runs North-South through the

    mountain range that is clad in rich green natural beauty. The height of the road makes one feels

    as though it leads to the heaven.

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    9) Red Rock Scenic Road USA

    The Red Rock Scenic Road provides a splendid view of the sun baked nature of Arizona in all

    its glory. The road passes through Montezuma Castle National Monument, Coconino NationalForest and the Red Rock Country.

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    10) Seward Highway Alaska

    The Seward Highway is a 127 mile long road that connects Seward and Anchorage located in

    Alaska. The road offers a brilliant view of the unique topography of the region that is locatedaway from the US mainland.

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