FUNCHAL
Departure
We can also face limitations on
departure. If the anemometer near the
runway midpoint is reading more than
20kts from between 300o and 010o we
can’t go. Likewise, if the wind is from
between 020o and 040o at 25kts or more,
or between 120o and 190o at above 25kts,
we have to wait on the ground.
Other than that, things are the same
whichever direction we take off , and even
the winds over Rosario don’t have much
impact as we make an early left turn after
departing to the southwest. One fi nal minor
issue we face on Runway 05 is that the point
where we usually reach rotation speed (Vr)
is abeam the fi re station. It can produce
eff ects that slow our acceleration and make
us use more runway than we would need on
a calm day. However, it’s easy to take account
of this in our take-off and climb performance
calculations, and it doesn’t really aff ect us
much in any normal situation.Just another day
I have the pleasure of looking out of the
best offi ce window in the world. I am also
very privileged to see beautiful Madeira,
with its razor-sharp peaks pushing up
from the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, on a
regular basis. It is truly amazing, as the
coastline is particularly narrow and the
mountains slope steeply towards the sea.
The colour contrast between the green
forests, the reddish-brown soil, and blue
sea is stunning. Every day seems to be
diff erent, and that’s one of the reasons
why I love fl ying into Funchal.
I’ve operated into Innsbruck, Chambéry,
Berne and Salzburg, and like Funchal
they are all Category C airports. Facilities
with such designations might have non-
standard approaches, unusual weather,
performance limitations, obstacles or
layout issues. Every approach we fl y
enables us to build experience, and all
the situations we are likely to encounter
are dealt with in our training and the
limitations which we operate. The rules
for termination of an approach are hard
and fast.
Which one of these airfields is the
most challenging is very much personal
opinion. For me, Funchal and Chambéry
are up there due to the accurate hand
flying that is required. But personally, I
don’t think that Funchal is that difficult
when compared with some other
airfields – now I’m used to it, I see it as
just another airport.Do not sink
below the 3
o
approach
path on fi nal.
Expect down or
updrafts close
to the runway
thresholds. Birds
in the vicinity of
the airport.
A detailed feature on Funchal
Airport appeared in Airports of the
World, May-June 2018, issue 77. It can
be obtained from the Key Publishing
Shop at shop.keypublishing.comExtreme Airports // 33ABOVE RIGHT:
Jet2.com Boeing
737-8Z9 G-GDFR
makes a smoky
touchdown on
Runway 05 abeam
taxiway C.
BELOW: Boeing
737-8MG G-JZHU
on short fi nal for
Runway 23.28-33_Funchal.indd 33 11/05/2018 12:59