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37-424: Lukla village holds a small airport serving the region, and a variety of shops and lodges catering to tourists and trekkers, providing western-style meals and trail supplies. From Lukla, travelers need two days to reach the village of Namche Bazaar , an altitude-acclimatization stop for those continuing on. The airport has a 527-metre (1,729 ft) single asphalt runway, making it the shortest commercial runway in

74-446: A firefighting system, aerial application system, underwing tanks, sand filters , propeller de-icing system, mudguard , tailwheel debris guard, oxygen system, and additional power distribution system. The PC-6 is noted for its Short Takeoff and Landing ( STOL ) performance on almost any type of terrain - it can take off within a distance of 640 feet (195 m) and land within a distance of 427 feet (130 m) while carrying

111-454: A 2,200 lb payload, may be carried within the aircraft's main cabin area within the rear section of the fuselage; the standard passenger seats are designed to allow for rapid removal and may be stowed within an optional separate externally-accessed seat stowage compartment behind the main cabin. The main cabin area is furnished with soundproofing measures, ventilation, and heating as standard. A maximum of three fuel tanks can also be carried in

148-580: A certified instructor pilot, are allowed to land at the airport. In October 2018 plans to expand the terminal and runway were published. The construction of five new helipads was planned to be completed by the end of July 2021. As of October 2024 fixed wing flights continue to fly directly from KTM; though less frequently than in the past. The helicopter operator Air Dynasty offers helicopter operations out of its hub at Lukla Airport. [REDACTED] Media related to Lukla Airport at Wikimedia Commons Pilatus PC-6 The Pilatus PC-6 Porter

185-805: A long service life; by 1993, roughly 440 of the 500 PC-6 Turbo Porters completed by that point were still in service. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Central Intelligence Agency -controlled airline Air America operated up to 23 PC-6s at a time. Many of these were operated in the South-East Asia region, including South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The type was used for various missions, including paradropping supplies to troops, passenger transport, psychological warfare , reconnaissance, prisoner conveyance, airborne radio relay , and other intelligence operations. Since 1976,

222-531: A pair of UV-20s were assigned to the aviation detachment of the Berlin Brigade in Germany due to their suitability for operating within the heavily restricted airspace; they were fitted for carrying either cargo, up to eleven passengers, or three litters with four medical attendants. After nearly 600 deliveries in six decades including about 90 Fairchild-Hiller built and 425 PT6-powered, but only 52 in

259-598: A payload of 2,646 lbs (1,200 kg). Thanks to its STOL performance, the PC-6 holds the world record for highest landing by a fixed-wing aircraft , at 18,865 feet (5,750 m), on the Dhaulagiri glacier in Nepal . Due to the type's favourable STOL characteristics, described by the magazine Flying as being "one of the most helicopter-like airplanes in terms of takeoff performance", Pilatus has deliberately marketed

296-533: A single Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprop engine, which drives a fully reversible, constant-speed, three-bladed HC-B3TN-3D (or an alternative four-bladed HC-D4N-3P) Hartzell aluminium propeller via a reduction gearbox . Pilatus claims that it possesses unique STOL capabilities, capable of landing in places only otherwise accessible by rotorcraft . It is fully capable of being operated from unprepared rough airstrips, in remote areas, hot climates and at high altitudes in all-weather conditions. In particular,

333-414: A southwest wind from mid to late morning due to the action of the sun on the mountains to the north of Lukla. The airport regularly closes from mid to late morning due to the strong southwest winds that create crosswinds or tailwinds . Consequently, flights are usually scheduled for the early morning. A sudden loss of visibility preventing planes from landing under visual flight rules (VFR) will result in

370-416: Is 527 m (1,729 ft) × 30 m (98 ft) with an 11.7% gradient . The airport's elevation is 9,334 ft (2,845 m). The airport is used for passenger flights and for transporting most of the building materials and cargo to Lukla and other towns and villages to the north of Lukla, as there is no road to this region. In the early morning, the wind is usually from the northeast, changing to

407-719: Is a low prospect of a successful go-around on a short final approach due to the terrain. There is high terrain immediately beyond the northern end of the runway and a steeply angled drop at the southern end of the runway into the valley below. Due to the difficulties of successfully landing at the airport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal sets high standards, according to which only experienced pilots, who have completed at least 100 short-takeoff-and-landing (STOL) missions, have over one year of STOL experience in Nepal, and have completed ten flights into Lukla with

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444-548: Is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans , Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine - and turboprop -powered versions, and was produced under licence for a time by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. After 604 deliveries in 63 years, Pilatus ended production in 2022. On 4 May 1959,

481-401: Is of a rugged and low-maintenance construction; featuring high levels of accessibility, interchangeability, and favourable manning levels. The wings, fuselage, and empennage are manufactured using conventional semi-monocoque construction techniques, the primary structure being composed of aluminium; the central structure retains critical strength despite the cutout areas for the sliding doors of

518-545: The Austrian Air Force has operated a fleet of 12 PC-6 Porters as the mainstay of their fixed-wing transport fleet; the type has been used in various support roles, including transport, search and rescue, firefighting, observation, target-towing and paradropping. According to Flying magazine, around 40 per cent of all PC-6s in use in Europe during the early 1990s were being used by skydivers . In 1996, during

555-551: The First Congo War , Zaire 's president Mobutu Sese Seko hired Western European mercenaries (mostly French and Belgian) in an attempt to stop a Rwandan-led offensive. This contingent (part of the White Legion ) was supported by a BAE Andover and a Pilatus PC-6B Turbo Porter transports and four Mil Mi-24 attack helicopters. The Porter was lost after colliding with a 3 metres (10 ft) tall anthill which damaged

592-539: The Vietnam War . It received the designation AU-23A Peacemaker for service with the U.S. Air Force. The Peacemaker was fitted with a side-firing 20mm XM-197 Gatling cannon, four wing pylons and a centre fuselage station for external ordnance. However, the AU-23A proved to be troublesome in service. All of them were returned to the continental U.S. and placed into storage after only a single year of operation. In 1979,

629-590: The Chinese market; the type has often been used to replace the Antonov An-2 , being reportedly cheaper to operate. The Porter was also manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. Roughly 100 of these licence-produced aircraft would be completed, being mainly purchased by civil operators within the US. A number of Fairchild Hiller-built PC-6s were also procured for military operations during

666-491: The PC-6 to other countries; in 1993, Czech Republic –based Letov Kbely began manufacturing activity upon the type. Its unit cost in 2010 was $ 1,900,000. In 2013, Pilatus formed a joint venture with Beijing Tian Xing Jian Yu Science Co., Ltd. to locally manufacture the PC-6 and the newer Pilatus PC-12 in Chongqing , China; initially this facility performed subassembly work on the fuselage, and later other elements such as

703-494: The PC-6 towards helicopter operators at times, feeling the type to be complementary to their typical mode of operation. According to Pilatus, the PC-6 can provide very similar surveillance capabilities to a rotorcraft at a significantly lower cost to operate and procure. During its early service, the PC-6 Porter was noted for its high level of comfort and usability against competing aircraft. The type has also proven to have

740-634: The PC-6 were equipped with a full instrument panel as standard, and were reportedly easy for unfamiliar pilots to intuit. Later-manufactured PC-6s are equipped with a Garmin G950 glass cockpit in place of analog instrumentation; the majority of earlier-produced PC-6s can also be retrofitted with a glass cockpit. In addition to its flight functionality, the G950 system acts as a remote maintenance unit and electronic flight bag all in one. Two large 10.4-inch liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) are present, functioning as

777-865: The PC-6 were equipped with the Astazou II powerplant, however complaints on the reliability of this engine led to another early turboprop powerplant becoming available for the PC-6. This was the Garrett Air Research TPE 331 . Some operators such as Air America chose to retrofit their Astazou II-powered PC-6s with the TPE 331 engine. In May 1966, the first PC-6 to be equipped with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A engine performed its maiden flight. To offset rising labour and manufacturing costs in Switzerland, Pilatus distributed manufacturing work on

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814-1007: The Primary Flight Display for all key flight information and the Multi-function Display for system/mission management. Fully independent secondary flight instrumentation is also provided to provide backup altitude, attitude, and airspeed information in the event of complete electrical failure. The cockpit has been designed for single pilot operations; additional flight controls for a co-pilot can be optionally fitted. Other optional features include an autopilot (capable of operating within all phases of flight), traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), weather radar , satellite phone , LIDAR , forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and lightning detector ; in addition, onboard electrical and avionics equipment are readily modifiable to conform with customer requirements. The airframe

851-426: The airport 50% of the time during the monsoon season, with the consequent cancellation of 50% of flights. Due to the terrain and the low possibility of a safe go-around for a missed approach, there are no go-around procedures. Tenzing–Hillary Airport has been referred to as the most dangerous airport in the world . Arriving and departing aircraft must use a single runway (06 for landing and 24 for takeoff). There

888-491: The airport was built in its current position. Hillary bought the land from local Sherpas for US$ 2,650 and involved them in building the facilities. It has been said that Hillary was unhappy with the runway's soil resistance, and that his solution was to buy local liquor for the Sherpas and ask them to perform a foot-stomping dance to flatten the land that served as the runway. The runway was paved in 2001. In January 2008,

925-582: The airport was renamed in honour of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first people confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest , and also to mark their efforts in the construction of this airport. The airport's paved asphalt runway is accessible only to helicopters and small, fixed-wing, short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft such as the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter , Dornier 228 , L-410 Turbolet and Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter. The runway

962-451: The engine's automatic handling functions. These benefits came at the expense of the greater initial purchase cost and higher fuel consumption . Both the piston and turbine-engine versions of the PC-6 became quickly known for their Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) capabilities, requiring only a very short takeoff run before being ready for rotation prior to taking off. Its unit cost in 1962 was $ 55,000 The initial turbine-powered models of

999-495: The first prototype, powered by a 254 kW (340 shp ) piston engine , made its maiden flight. In early May 1961, the first Turbo Porter , powered by a Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engine, performed its initial flight. In comparison to its earlier piston engine-powered incarnation, the Astazou II-equipped Turbo Porter had an increased gross capacity and top speed, as well as benefitting from

1036-413: The immediate closure of the airport. Keeping turnaround times to a minimum, planes will attempt to make as many flights as possible from either Ramechhap or Kathmandu to Lukla before the airport is closed. When Ramechhap airport is in use, shorter flight times from Ramechhap than from Kathmandu will allow more flights. Although the airport is nominally open throughout the year, visibility problems close

1073-474: The last ten years, Pilatus will close the orderbook from summer 2018 and will roll off the last one in early 2019 while parts production will continue for at least 20 years. Due to pandemic delays, the last PC-6 Porter was instead delivered in December 2022 after 604 produced in 63 years. The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a Short Takeoff and Landing (STOL) utility aircraft . The majority of aircraft are powered by

1110-457: The main cabin, accordingly reducing payload capacity, to increase the aircraft's flight endurance. In addition to the large sliding doors at either side of the main cabin, separate hinged doors are present on either side of the cockpit; an optional pilot-controlled trapdoor , to accommodate supply drops or surveillance payloads, may also be installed in the center of the cabin floor without any design changes required. Additional equipment include

1147-661: The main cabin. Corrosion resistance is achieved via a combination of plating and a polyurethane -based enamel paint . The simple nature of the structure allows for ease of repair in the field. Features such as low-pressure tyres, twin-caliper disc brakes , and a highly energy-absorbent undercarriage enable the aircraft to be capable of operating from rough or otherwise challenging terrain. For role flexibility, individual aircraft can be easily converted between various mission types, such as transport, paradrop , aerial photography , surveillance , air medical services and search and rescue duties. A maximum of ten passengers, or

Lukla - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-634: The most dangerous airport in the world. This article about a location in Solukhumbu District , Nepal is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lukla Airport Tenzing-Hillary Airport ( Nepali : तेन्जिङ हिलारी विमानस्थल , IATA : LUA , ICAO : VNLK ), also known as Lukla Airport , is a domestic airport and altiport in the town of Lukla , in Khumbu Pasanglhamu , Solukhumbu District , Koshi Province of Nepal . It gained worldwide fame as it

1221-657: The sun is shining in Ramechhap or 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 is patrolled by the Armed Police Force Nepal , Nepal Civil Police or Nepali Army around the clock for security. The airport was built in 1964 under the supervision of Sir Edmund Hillary , who originally intended to build it on flat farmland. However, local farmers did not want to give up their land, so

1258-408: The undercarriage employed provides for high wing and propeller clearances, making the PC-6 less susceptible to damage than conventional nosewheel-type undercarriages. For further landing versatility, various types of landing gear may be optionally installed allowing it to operate from different types of terrain; options include floats for water landings and skis for landing on snow. Early models of

1295-472: The wings and moving surfaces, which were transported to Pilatus' final assembly facility in Stans , Switzerland. Global production of the PC-6 will eventually be transferred to the Chongqing facility. On 11 December 2014, the first Chinese-assembled PC-6 fuselage was completed. In 2014, the majority of PC-6s delivered that year were to Chinese customers. By April 2016, around 20 PC-6s were in operation in

1332-654: The world. In August 2014, the Nepalese government announced plans to open the first tarmac road from Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla is served by the Tenzing-Hillary Airport . Weather permitting, twin-engine Dornier 228s and de Havilland Canada Twin Otters make frequent daylight flights between Lukla and Kathmandu . Lukla Airport has a very short and steep airstrip, often compounded by hazardous weather, resulting in several fatal accidents. It has been called

1369-510: Was rated the most dangerous airport in the world for more than 20 years by a program titled Most Extreme Airports , broadcast on The History Channel in 2010. The airport is popular because it is considered the starting point for treks towards Mount Everest Base Camp . There are daily flights between Ramechhap or Kathmandu and Lukla during daylight hours in good weather. Although the flying distances are short, rain often occurs in Lukla while

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