Landing on the edge of the Himalaya; A journey to the world’s most dangerous runway

Given that Bhutan is between India and China, more than 5 % is mountainous. Timfu, its capital, is at a height of 2.5 meters and a slightly below it at a height of 2.5 meters. High altitude has led to certain conditions for planes flights in the area. At this height the air is diligent; Therefore, the aircraft must move faster than the ground to maintain its normal performance. In essence, the actual speed of the aircraft in the air does not change; But its speed will be higher than the Ground Speed.

Most flights are carried out from cities like Delhi, Bangkok, Kathmando (the capital of Nepal) or more recently Hanoi (Vietnam capital). The common point of all these flights is done in the early hours of the morning; Because at these hours and finally before noon, weather conditions in the Parro Valley are more stable.

Dorsji says:

In the afternoon, the air and the surface of the earth warms up, and as there is no rainfall that decreases, we see hot and lower hot winds. In fact, the reason for these winds is that hot air moves upwards because of its lightness. At night, the wind is reversed and the winds are blowing. The up and down winds both cause the flight conditions to be unstable. On the other hand, regardless of the wind, there is no flight at night due to the lack of radar system.

In the seasons of monsoon rains, from mid -June to mid -September (June to August), conditions are becoming more complex. Storms, hails as golf balls and multi -day rains are just a few challenges this season.

Dorgi believes that:

Being a pilot is not just to know how to fly; As a pilot, you should also know when you should not fly.

The Paro airport runway is only 2.5 meters long and is surrounded by high mountains on both sides. The pilot only sees the band just a few seconds before the landing; Of course, provided that the weather is not foggy.