In November 1977, there was a devastating crash involving a Boeing 727 aircraft operated by TAP Air Portugal. Due to bad weather conditions such as crosswinds, rain, and low visibility, the pilots made 2 missed approaches, before attempting a final one. The plane touched down, but after 600 meters it began to hydroplane and the pilots was unable to stop the aircraft before it overshot the runway and fell onto the beach below – 131 people lost their lives out of a total 164 onboard.
The first extension came in 1986, which gave more runway to larger aircraft. It added 200 meters which brought the total to 1800 meters. Due to continued tourism growth, another extension began work in 2000. Engineers had to build the extension on a platform over the sea, as all the available land had been used. It was finished in October 2002. This time the runway was extended to 2781 meters with an extension platform supported by 180 pillars, rising 57 meters above the sea. There is a reason why pilots need to undertake special training to qualify for landing on Madeira.
UsernameChecksOut_69 on
Imagine being named after an airport though, then becoming a footballer! He should’ve been a pilot I guess.
Aware_Cheesecake_519 on
This airport just doesn’t play soccer, lol.
TurbistoMasturbisto on
That Island is truly a little piece of paradise. I go there quite regularly and it’s by far my favorite vacation spot.
If anyone plans on going there stay a couple of days in Santa Cruz. It’s right by the airport. It’s amazing to watch the planes land. There are some piers where you can stand on and the planes fly so close by it almost feels like you could touch them.
soulfood20 on
Daddypleasest0p on
IgnacioMonge on
Beautiful island and people!
baIIern on
I remember this from Microsoft Flight Simulator, there was a landing competition I think
Ok-Style-9734 on
Is there a reason they went for oillars vs building a big embankment and retaining wall?
Soggy_Quarter9333 on
Piles. Piles of stilts.
fanunu21 on
I hope every announcement in there starts with SUI
SUIIIIII flight to London is now boarding from gate 1B
falquiboy on
The fact a public airport is named after a living person always amazes me. Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest athlete of all time.
PauseAffectionate720 on
Well …. it certainly looks like enough “stilts”.
xPhilt3rx on
Curiositydelay1sec on
Least-Rub-1397 on
Is this airport considered most difficult to land on in Europe? I think I read it somewhere, strong crosswinds or smth. Needs special training for pilots…
rubensinclair on
What happens if a plane comes in for a pretty hard landing? Does it crash thru?
invDave on
Madeira is a beautiful island and its airport is one of the only ones in which pilots frequently land without autopilot, and sometimes with the back wheels first and then let the nose dip forward.
Source: I’ve been to Madeira and that’s how the plane landed
davewave3283 on
Visiting this airport is my gooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!!
thursdaynovember on
HOW did this make more sense to them rather than just infilling??
Wondering_Electron on
That’s a Die Hard film waiting to be made.
Accidental-Lobotomy on
Must be a happy airport.
Random thought I know, I’ll explain myself, I was having a rough patch in my life, living in another state than my family, even though it was my choice to move plans didn’t go anywhere near my dream, I was isolated and wanted to move back, I was having a hard time securing a place from interstate, I was totally up to date with rent, left the old place on good terms, the real estate agents seemed to want me to view the places I applied for in person.
Asked my family for help with a temporary room, even the couch, I was thinking 2 weeks max, nobody wanted this, so feeling abandoned I deactivated social media and changed my number, I even changed my residence, about a month later police tracked me down on multiple calls from family embers who were worried about my well-being, before ghosting everyone I said something like guess I won’t get back to my home state then, I don’t know when or if I’ll see you again, you’ll likely see me at my funeral.
So police kinda okayed it but said a mental health professional will visit in the next few days to do a proper assessment, I was in a tiny place, didn’t have much because of the interstate move and I’d never been very materialistic, was my kitchen appliances! Tv and t cabinet a set of drawers for my clothes a couch and a mattress on the floor, most days I’d put the mattress vertically against the wall behind the couch, lay it down to sleep.
One of the first things mental health professional asked was if I’m happy living this way, I said what way, they said sleeping on the floor, I said I don’t sleep on the floor I sleep on my mattress, the said i think you will be a lot happier if you get a bed frame
I couldn’t stop laughing and it became my own joke and made up statistic I’d tell strangers while out drinking or at a concert. “Did you know people that sleep on stilts are much happier” or “you know what the key to happiness is?” People would answer friends family money sports loving what you do all kinds of things, I’d say lope, it’s sleeping on stilts”
Sorry, I a, a weirdo and that is an extremely cool airport, if I had that mental health professionals contact details my goal in life would be to travel there, lay down and have a picture taken of me from far away then send them the picture and say look how happy I am..
maccoall on
Crosswinds for so !
Emergency-Pack-5497 on
when my cruise sailed up to Madeira at dawn it was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. The views at the top are outstanding
SignalButterscotch73 on
On one hand, the engineering work put in to make this airport work is a remarkable achievement.
On the other hand, isn’t there a point where you say no to having an airport and just use boats?
Sweaty_Report7864 on
That… feels like a bad idea… especially so close to the shore and thus shore erosion.
Unicorn_Puppy on
Is something like that really safe? Like landing planes on those structures?
CerealSpiller22 on
Thinking about how much affordable housing could be built under that runway! With beach access no less.
Far_Garlic_2181 on
Scalextric
YannAlmostright on
On takeoff they lock the brakes, push the throttle to the max and release the brakes, and then when airborne immediately turn left with a lot of bank angle. It’s impressive to witness
BhaskarCR7 on
Stunning_Pen_8332 on
Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (IATA: FNC, ICAO: LPMA) — also known as Madeira Airport, Funchal Airport, and formerly Santa Catarina Airport — is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portuguese archipelago and autonomous region of Madeira, officially opened on 7 July 1964 and expended several times afterwards to cope with increased demand for tourism.
The airport is located 13.2 km (8.2 mi) east-northeast of the regional capital, Funchal, after which it is sometimes informally named. It mostly hosts flights to European metropolitan destinations due to Madeira’s importance as a leisure destination, and is pivotal in the movement of cargo in and out of the archipelago of Madeira. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Portugal.
The airport is named after footballer and Madeiran native Cristiano Ronaldo. During its renaming ceremony in 2017, the airport drew media notoriety for an infamous bust of Ronaldo unveiled at the ceremony, which was replaced by a new one made by a Spanish sculptor and shown to the public on 15 June 2018.
Madeira Airport is a geographically unusual airport, as it is perched on a foreland jutting out to sea. At the end of runway 05, there lie hills and cliffs which make a direct ILS approach and landing unavailable. Instead, aircraft have to make a visual approach which involves flying around the airport, then circling around in a ~180° turn before lining up on a very short final approach. The airport’s runway – 05/23 – is a tabletop runway, which means there are steep dropoffs at either end of the runway – at the beginning of Runway 05, the runway drops off just before a motorway that snakes around the runway end, and at the beginning of Runway 23, which drops off a cliff. The runway is also unique in the fact that at the beginning of Runway 23, the runway is placed on a platform supported by pillars, similar to a beam bridge.
I had such a genuinely bad experience there specifically due to this airport and 36 hours of no flying due to cancellations as a result of strong winds and no hotels with space. The airport has no plan for something which must happen semi-frequently.
No soy experto, pero no hubiera sido mejor hacer un muro de contención y rellenar ese espacio? No se creo que esos pilotes lucen inseguros, parecen un dominó.
I_Want_A_Ribeye on
LGA was built on garbage
Gabzalez on
That airport can be quite a ride to fly into with the winds coming down the mountains and up from the sea shaking your airplane like a tin can.
The approach is also spectacular as you’re flying right next to the cliffs at certain moments. If you’re approaching from the East.
The island is definitely worth the ride, incredibly beautiful!
foolishbullshittery on
What’s interesting is that that run off was only built in 2000. Before that landing on that airport was only reserved to the highest skilled pilots due to the short road and terrible winds.
I’ve landed there in ’96 and from hearing all the stories about pilots having to takeoff again because then couldn’t stop in time made me almost shit my pants. I’ve landed there 4 years ago and it was a way better experience. Winds are still tricky though.
With this “new” runoff bigger commercial planes and intercontinental flights are allowed to land. They weren’t before.
In 86 the track had already been extended.
ThePensiveE on
They named an airport after someone who played a child’s game for a living?
Don’t get me wrong, big sports fan, but my oh my they’re not heroes to be worshipped.
Lazy-Equivalent1028 on
What in the rollercoaster tycoon is this??!? Did they Shift+mouse up that part?
_P2M_ on
Fuuck, I hate that they named it that. Madeira International Airport would’ve been just fine. Why tf does he get all this shit named after him just because he’s good at playing around with a ball?
Sunfurian_Zm on
wtf is it with this guys
isn’t he just a footballer? (or “soccer” if that’s how you want to call it)
how come the entire world seems to be obsessed with him in particular
TheVictorotciV on
A highway goes through it, I really liked the feeling of driving under there
Ambitious-Midnight18 on
Just love seeing places named after rapists! why is it that rapists are some of the most popular men in the world?
heartlessgamer on
That is how I solve problems in my Minecraft builds as well.
47 Comments
In November 1977, there was a devastating crash involving a Boeing 727 aircraft operated by TAP Air Portugal. Due to bad weather conditions such as crosswinds, rain, and low visibility, the pilots made 2 missed approaches, before attempting a final one. The plane touched down, but after 600 meters it began to hydroplane and the pilots was unable to stop the aircraft before it overshot the runway and fell onto the beach below – 131 people lost their lives out of a total 164 onboard.
The first extension came in 1986, which gave more runway to larger aircraft. It added 200 meters which brought the total to 1800 meters. Due to continued tourism growth, another extension began work in 2000. Engineers had to build the extension on a platform over the sea, as all the available land had been used. It was finished in October 2002. This time the runway was extended to 2781 meters with an extension platform supported by 180 pillars, rising 57 meters above the sea. There is a reason why pilots need to undertake special training to qualify for landing on Madeira.
Imagine being named after an airport though, then becoming a footballer! He should’ve been a pilot I guess.
This airport just doesn’t play soccer, lol.
That Island is truly a little piece of paradise. I go there quite regularly and it’s by far my favorite vacation spot.
If anyone plans on going there stay a couple of days in Santa Cruz. It’s right by the airport. It’s amazing to watch the planes land. There are some piers where you can stand on and the planes fly so close by it almost feels like you could touch them.
Beautiful island and people!
I remember this from Microsoft Flight Simulator, there was a landing competition I think
Is there a reason they went for oillars vs building a big embankment and retaining wall?
Piles. Piles of stilts.
I hope every announcement in there starts with SUI
SUIIIIII flight to London is now boarding from gate 1B
The fact a public airport is named after a living person always amazes me. Cristiano Ronaldo the greatest athlete of all time.
Well …. it certainly looks like enough “stilts”.
Is this airport considered most difficult to land on in Europe? I think I read it somewhere, strong crosswinds or smth. Needs special training for pilots…
What happens if a plane comes in for a pretty hard landing? Does it crash thru?
Madeira is a beautiful island and its airport is one of the only ones in which pilots frequently land without autopilot, and sometimes with the back wheels first and then let the nose dip forward.
Source: I’ve been to Madeira and that’s how the plane landed
Visiting this airport is my gooooooooooooooooooooooooal!!!
HOW did this make more sense to them rather than just infilling??
That’s a Die Hard film waiting to be made.
Must be a happy airport.
Random thought I know, I’ll explain myself, I was having a rough patch in my life, living in another state than my family, even though it was my choice to move plans didn’t go anywhere near my dream, I was isolated and wanted to move back, I was having a hard time securing a place from interstate, I was totally up to date with rent, left the old place on good terms, the real estate agents seemed to want me to view the places I applied for in person.
Asked my family for help with a temporary room, even the couch, I was thinking 2 weeks max, nobody wanted this, so feeling abandoned I deactivated social media and changed my number, I even changed my residence, about a month later police tracked me down on multiple calls from family embers who were worried about my well-being, before ghosting everyone I said something like guess I won’t get back to my home state then, I don’t know when or if I’ll see you again, you’ll likely see me at my funeral.
So police kinda okayed it but said a mental health professional will visit in the next few days to do a proper assessment, I was in a tiny place, didn’t have much because of the interstate move and I’d never been very materialistic, was my kitchen appliances! Tv and t cabinet a set of drawers for my clothes a couch and a mattress on the floor, most days I’d put the mattress vertically against the wall behind the couch, lay it down to sleep.
One of the first things mental health professional asked was if I’m happy living this way, I said what way, they said sleeping on the floor, I said I don’t sleep on the floor I sleep on my mattress, the said i think you will be a lot happier if you get a bed frame
I couldn’t stop laughing and it became my own joke and made up statistic I’d tell strangers while out drinking or at a concert. “Did you know people that sleep on stilts are much happier” or “you know what the key to happiness is?” People would answer friends family money sports loving what you do all kinds of things, I’d say lope, it’s sleeping on stilts”
Sorry, I a, a weirdo and that is an extremely cool airport, if I had that mental health professionals contact details my goal in life would be to travel there, lay down and have a picture taken of me from far away then send them the picture and say look how happy I am..
Crosswinds for so !
when my cruise sailed up to Madeira at dawn it was one of the most amazing sights I had ever seen. The views at the top are outstanding
On one hand, the engineering work put in to make this airport work is a remarkable achievement.
On the other hand, isn’t there a point where you say no to having an airport and just use boats?
That… feels like a bad idea… especially so close to the shore and thus shore erosion.
Is something like that really safe? Like landing planes on those structures?
Thinking about how much affordable housing could be built under that runway! With beach access no less.
Scalextric
On takeoff they lock the brakes, push the throttle to the max and release the brakes, and then when airborne immediately turn left with a lot of bank angle. It’s impressive to witness
Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport (IATA: FNC, ICAO: LPMA) — also known as Madeira Airport, Funchal Airport, and formerly Santa Catarina Airport — is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portuguese archipelago and autonomous region of Madeira, officially opened on 7 July 1964 and expended several times afterwards to cope with increased demand for tourism.
The airport is located 13.2 km (8.2 mi) east-northeast of the regional capital, Funchal, after which it is sometimes informally named. It mostly hosts flights to European metropolitan destinations due to Madeira’s importance as a leisure destination, and is pivotal in the movement of cargo in and out of the archipelago of Madeira. It is the fourth-busiest airport in Portugal.
The airport is named after footballer and Madeiran native Cristiano Ronaldo. During its renaming ceremony in 2017, the airport drew media notoriety for an infamous bust of Ronaldo unveiled at the ceremony, which was replaced by a new one made by a Spanish sculptor and shown to the public on 15 June 2018.
Madeira Airport is a geographically unusual airport, as it is perched on a foreland jutting out to sea. At the end of runway 05, there lie hills and cliffs which make a direct ILS approach and landing unavailable. Instead, aircraft have to make a visual approach which involves flying around the airport, then circling around in a ~180° turn before lining up on a very short final approach. The airport’s runway – 05/23 – is a tabletop runway, which means there are steep dropoffs at either end of the runway – at the beginning of Runway 05, the runway drops off just before a motorway that snakes around the runway end, and at the beginning of Runway 23, which drops off a cliff. The runway is also unique in the fact that at the beginning of Runway 23, the runway is placed on a platform supported by pillars, similar to a beam bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_Airport?wprov=sfti1#
Suddenly I’m playing Arma 3 Escape from Tanoa.
I had such a genuinely bad experience there specifically due to this airport and 36 hours of no flying due to cancellations as a result of strong winds and no hotels with space. The airport has no plan for something which must happen semi-frequently.
https://preview.redd.it/jsw81b44qdug1.jpeg?width=588&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84fa0307f32e197fb5f5b175c408d117c13eb42f
No soy experto, pero no hubiera sido mejor hacer un muro de contención y rellenar ese espacio? No se creo que esos pilotes lucen inseguros, parecen un dominó.
LGA was built on garbage
That airport can be quite a ride to fly into with the winds coming down the mountains and up from the sea shaking your airplane like a tin can.
The approach is also spectacular as you’re flying right next to the cliffs at certain moments. If you’re approaching from the East.
The island is definitely worth the ride, incredibly beautiful!
What’s interesting is that that run off was only built in 2000. Before that landing on that airport was only reserved to the highest skilled pilots due to the short road and terrible winds.
I’ve landed there in ’96 and from hearing all the stories about pilots having to takeoff again because then couldn’t stop in time made me almost shit my pants. I’ve landed there 4 years ago and it was a way better experience. Winds are still tricky though.
With this “new” runoff bigger commercial planes and intercontinental flights are allowed to land. They weren’t before.
In 86 the track had already been extended.
They named an airport after someone who played a child’s game for a living?
Don’t get me wrong, big sports fan, but my oh my they’re not heroes to be worshipped.
What in the rollercoaster tycoon is this??!? Did they Shift+mouse up that part?
Fuuck, I hate that they named it that. Madeira International Airport would’ve been just fine. Why tf does he get all this shit named after him just because he’s good at playing around with a ball?
wtf is it with this guys
isn’t he just a footballer? (or “soccer” if that’s how you want to call it)
how come the entire world seems to be obsessed with him in particular
A highway goes through it, I really liked the feeling of driving under there
Just love seeing places named after rapists! why is it that rapists are some of the most popular men in the world?
That is how I solve problems in my Minecraft builds as well.
Nice that it looks out to the siiiiiii