When Airline Pilots Have Fun

Recreational pilots may be forgiven for sometimes thinking that airline pilots have a boring job, flying the same routes, day in and day out, to strict procedures, while maximising fuel efficiency to keep the bean-counters happy.

- By Guy Leitch

ATTITUDE FOR ALTITUDE: GUY LEITCH

HOWEVER, EVEN WITH AIRLINE FLYING, there are opportunities for pilots to have a bit of fun and excitement. One such opportunity is the straight-in approach to Hoedspruit’s Runway 09.

The descent and landing into Hoedspruit 09 is interesting because of the short distance from the Drakensberg Escarpment to the threshold. It reminds me of a Presidents’ Trophy Air Race where the organisers placed a checkpoint just 5 nm beyond the escarpment. I know of a number of pilots who admitted to exceeding Vne getting down to the checkpoint.

Despite having been a front-line military airfield for Mirage operations, the 09/27 runway at Hoedspruit is decidedly secondary as it is only 2000 m long and 27 m wide. As an interested amateur pilot, it seemed to me to be something of a challenge for a jet the size of an Embraer 190. In asking Airlink about how they fly the approach and landing, I learned much about airline operations, procedures and limitations.

The day we flew straight into Hoedspruit’s 09 from Cape Town, I was amazed to see the windsock showing about a 15-knot tailwind – blowing from 270, directly down the runway.