Day 7: Runway Optical Illusions

[@manifestgtr]

I trained at KPSM which has one of the longest, widest runways north of JFK…so the first time i landed on a runway less than 50’ across was wild and actually a bit startling. It wasnt so much an illusion that got me…it was seeing the grass go by so close, so quickly. That definitely got my attention from a centerline standpoint.

[@ranjrog]

7 for 7! Agree with you about the difficulty of night flying. Instrument training is a big help!

[@raywier4277]

7 for 7! Thanks Jason and the team!

[@grozman65]

7 for 7! Always great content from the MZeroA team!

[@jimmyvuong4361]

Loving the series, keep it up!

[@kennethweaver1018]

7 for 7! As always great content from the MZeroA team!

[@markag73]

7 for 7. These are great. Thank you

[@rjcooch]

7 for 7. As I transitioned to the airlines over the past year, one of the airports with runway optical illusions is at KBNA. There is what I like to call a moat trench (just like many castles have) right before the runway threshold. Maintaining proper aimpoint and airspeed is key to a stabilized approach transitioning to landing. Over many times operating at KBNA, I also mentally prepare to mitigate wind shifts on short final. Keep up the awesome job...LUV these videos!

[@robertmiller4131]

7 for 7! Made it so far this year, Thank you

[@timothybilby6644]

7 for 7 Awesome reminders to go through Jason.

[@daveeverhart7720]

7 for 7. Thanks Jamie,thanks Jason. One of my favorite x-country destinations is KAUN. The terrain to the east is higher than the field elevation which makes it easy to get caught high on final landing to the west.

[@chrisstoughton5560]

7 for 7! Keep it up guys!

[@davidperry8106]

7 for 7. Great content. Thanks

[@carlosaugustorivolta9020]

7 for 7! Great Job!!

[@Ed.Taylor]

7/7 nothing weird but my favorite challenge so far was Put in Bay! (3w2) Watch out for moderate turbulence on approach and departure if surface winds are over 10 knots and be aware of the restricted area. Beautiful, lots of fun on the island and a fun challenge when you want a little adventure! Fly Safe!! Always Learning!!! et

[@michaelj.mcmurray540]

7 for 7: another great video. These reminders of certain hazards we face as pilots is why I love the 31 day SPC series.

[@MajSplash]

7 for 7. KCOS to KLHX for student night flight. Flying into abyss with remote landing lights to 60’ wide RW, reflectors for runway and taxi edges. Fun experience to learn how to aviator and navigate black hole.

[@Jussycee]

7/7 I flew into X04 airport during the day years ago for labor day weekend. It gives you the illusion that you’re lower than what you are because the runway is higher. In turn had me coming in faster and had to bleed off that airspeed quickly. Lesson learned to give myself more time to set up and get more familiar with the airport prior to arrival

[@xcfly]

7 for 7, thank you! Great reminders.

[@elicombs4407]

7/7 Loving the videos!

[@travisholderman6955]

7 for 7. Great content!

[@jereberhard5529]

11V - Easton/Valley View Airport, ~5 mi south of KGXY-Greeley/Weld County has a hump in runway 27. It looks like you are going to run out of runway before you takeoff on 27. Landing runway 9 has a similar illusion where you are on rollout going up hill, but when you crest the hump you see that you have over 1000 feet to go to the end of the runway.

[@matiasr1373]

7/7. Thanks for the content

[@LonHaenel]

7 for 7! Good video.

[@JoseSilva-vp3wi]

7 for 7! Just need my morning coffee!☕️

[@Flyin_Texan]

I forgot my coffee on the counter at home this morning, it’s a real problem haha

[@ChrisHeid4838]

Another great video!! 7/7 Indiana only has flat runways.

Just went to KVPZ. There is a hump and then a dip at about 500ft into runway 36. Had to go around as I couldn't determine whether I bounced up or was riding down and up the dip. Call it a kinetic/inertial illusion?

[@itsfrytime]

7 for 7! I haven't experienced any weird runway illusions yet but my one time night flying definitely messed with my depth perception. Stay safe out there!

[@greglong1492]

7 for 7. Not so much of an illusion issue but the south end of surfaced runway 17/35 at Marion, IA C17 is not visible from the north end. This is where you must taxi out from the FBO. So you must be aware of the traffic activity and wait some extra time before departing on 17 or back-taxing to 35 because there is also no taxiway. It's a nice GA airport that I don't fly into often. I had my first training in a C-150 in the late 70's at a north/south grass strip east of Des Moines, IA that no longer exists. Coming back from my long solo cross country, I was light and it was a gusty bumpy summer day favoring an arrival to the north. The south end of the runway was down a hill and when I transitioned to land below the upper part of the runway, the wind was blocked and I hit hard, bounced and luckily with a little power applied, landed okay. It was a real surprise.

[@nickmalacaro]

7 for 7, great information, Thanks

[@lucasriley1968]

7 for 7! I'm a student and haven't been on any funky runways yet, although runway 9 at KHGR (Hagerstown, MD) definitely has an upward slope that I didn't visually notice but could sure as heck feel as I was trying to build up takeoff speed. And it's only about a 22-foot elevation change from one end of the runway to the other, but I felt every inch of it!

[@d.e.uteron1148]

7 for 7 still here. ✝🙏

[@michelviso4705]

7 out of 7 today! It's a challenge but I'm trying to stick to the schedule!

[@CanardBoulevard]

I flew into an airport in Canada a few months ago that had 40 foot wide runways. Because the runways were so much more narrow than what I'm used to in the US, the optical illusion was that the runway appeared to be much farther away than it really was (perspective). As a result I found myself over the threshold with too much speed and altitude and had to go around and try again.

[@jereberhard5529]

KGWS | Sumers Airpark - Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on approach to runway 32 the Roaring Fork River coming down from KASE Aspen crosses just before the threshold. There is also the airport access road, so the approach is down in the valley below the ridge tops, when you turn final there is an open field, 75' tall trees, then the river, then the road, then the end of the runway... all in less than 200'. Bring your "A" game... and fly with a local instructor before you go there the first time. Ok, did I say the runway is 3305 x 50 ft at about 6000 MSL? We do this all the time in a Cessna 172, my Cessna 140 and Cherokee 180s. ... it just takes training, so as Jason says, "A good pilot is always learning". Jer/ Eberhard, Ft Collins Colorado Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD.

[@ScottWoodland]

Thanks for doing this one. I regularly fly out of two airports, one 6000 foot long and flat, the other 3500 foot long but with a slope. I hadn't ever really noticed the slope as an optical illusion until one night coming back with a student, approaching for the "up slope" runway... and he suddenly says to me that doesn't look right, and I had to explain to him...night/upslope, yes it really does look different. Now I notice it every time I land on that runway

[@JonConrad-pu3bl]

7 for 7. Check out TEX. A threshold with a steep canyon that precedes it for rwy 9. 10500ft pattern altitude with hemmed-in approach to rwy 27. Go around and departure planning required. Enjoying the series. thank you, Jon, GJT

[@stevenrynski1107]

Thanks! 7 for 7!!

[@larrylubeski]

7/7 Good stuff!! Learning every day! MCD Mackinac Island with upward slope to the NE. Big black hole at night!

[@robnichols1980]

Great info. 7 for 7

[@mitchell_488MR]

Seven for Seven!!! I actually am now at an airfield that is only 50" wide. I have always flown with a minimum of 100' wide runways...pretty wild of a difference for us students.

[@paulrichardson6804]

7 for 7: it’s the small strips that we go for with our NZ LSA/ microlights that can be a challenge…but if you want a challenging but exciting runway have a look at Milford Sound NZMF! Haven’t yet got there but a couple of our club planes were there this week,….

[@Flyin_Texan]

7 for 7. Kestrel in TX 1T7 is narrow and has quite the slope for some optical illusions on approach, adding to the challenge is hangers close to the runway on both sides creating a wind funnel with vortices that change wind direction as you move down the runway. This was one of the last new places my instructor took me before my PPL check ride to test how much airport info I really looked at in flight planning, and mastery of airplane control during the flight. It was a great test and gave me a lot more confidence for the check ride.

[@peterschuster1893]

7 for 7! 10G has a little slope to it!

[@baronvonronskisapp]

7 for 7, on it. I have landed on Catalina Island, the HUMP, Laudy Laudy, is unusual, but I knew about it before I made the approach. Good to know from pre-planning.

[@ericpearson1205]

7 for 7. The black hole illusion, as you refer to, would be difficult to get used to!

[@jessicabarnier5976]

7 for 7- Trigger Gap Airport (17A) in the Ozarks has a sloped runway that makes you think the runway ends before it really does. Quite an interesting place! Worth a try.

[@corythomas3925]

7 for 7. Thank you.

[@bryanpoettker]

7/7. 1H0 has a “ski slope” on the approach end of 34. KSUS has “black hole” effect on 8L as you approach over Missouri River.

[@morganbernard9899]

7/7. One airport that has a lot of illusion is Clearview Airport in Maryland 2W2. It’s short, 1,800 ft, narrow, 30ft, and upsloping 2.12 degrees, while surrounded by trees on all sides. Definitely one of the most challenging airfields I’ve landed at

[@jimbiller9682]

747 KAGC was tough to find at night, got a low altitude alert from tower. That’s when I decided to always ask for an instrument approach for new airport night landings

[@timothybilby6644]

City lights blending in with runway lights, that’s wow, and you hope you’re not focusing too much. Along with freeway lights and cars.

[@ddthompson42]

Wait... you started at night and never worked back from there! LOL On my instrument checkride, I was asked about runway illusions through haze and fog. Definitely something to study closely!

[@wildkiwi1295]

7/7! Very important. I never dug night landings, though rwy lights help.

[@DavidBellew-u1v]

7/7 First landing at a controlled field as a student (with my CFI) at KPSM. Runway was much wider than any I had landed before and rounded out much too high due to illusion. Did a go-around on an 11.3K ft runway! (Could have landed 3x more in that distance). Tower got a chuckle.

[@rubenmedina117]

Good morning from the west 7 for 7. Catalina,

[@Cybertruck_69]

7/7. CZNL (Nelson BC) has a crosswind headed directly towards a mountain. For rwy 04 you turn at mountain, fly over pulpit rock and around a valley then base is narrow over the river and a doglegged final. Rwy 75’ x 3100’. Many pilots decide on Castlegar instead.

[@jonmitchell5266]

7 for 7. MO9 is a small airfield with an interesting runway. Good restaurant on the field.

[@allanlaird]

7 for 7 Thanks!

[@KC-pq2dr]

2GC in NC. Rwy 17/35 is 3,500’ x 30’. Is literally like landing on a country road. Rwy 35 has a displaced threshold because there is a pecan tree on approach. Has nonstandard lighting offset from pavement giving the illusion of a wider runway. My night landings during PPL were a nerve wracking mess. It’s said if you can land at 2GC, you can land practically anywhere.

[@ivonnezamudio_EmprendeMente]

7x7! Thank you!

[@RickCrockett-x3r]

7/7 KSEZ is a challenging airport with the mountainous terrain, and challenging runway!

[@gsxrrider827]

7/7! My first three flights after achieving my PPL were with an instructor at night just to gain proficiency.

[@TheAppraiser00]

7/7 - I'm a 58 year old student, so haven't flown there personally, but I've heard that KBBG can play tricks on your eyes with a small canyon just before the runway so your eyes focus down, then the runway comes at you faster as your eyes focus back on the higher ground

[@Nicer_after_flying]

I haven’t noticed that issue, but the canyon will cause wind shifts on short final.

[@davidklassen2805]

7/7 N19 is an interesting one, runway 08/26 sits on kind of a plateau with just a cliff on either end of the runway so it makes for an interesting approach.

[@timbookwalter9241]

7 for 7, good stuff

[@johnreed8844]

7/7 So far 24A in Western NC can seem super weird as far as the right altitude on final due to a big drop off prior to the shorter runway.

[@brianschalme1457]

7 for 7. Kenora (CYQK) slopes up to a hump in the middle of the runway. It sure messes with the trapezoidal picture you normally expect on final.

[@johndoughty5599]

7 for 7 out of 31 - thanks

[@DaveSalvator]

7 for 7. My home airport is KLVK (Livermore CA) which is well-lit at night. Still a student (close to check ride) so haven't done night landings elsewhere, but Livermore's 25R is a great runway for night landings.

[@Tushka154]

7 for 7 from Hungary 🇭🇺 Runway 13R/31L at LHBP has the 2 ends at roughly the same elevation, however there is a valley right in the 31L touchdown zone, therefore planes landing there either detonate into the tarmac, or float until the other end

[@johng2963]

7-4-7.... nice plane!!

[@JacobBaron]

7/7 KHWO 1R/19L has about a 1-2 foot hump at the intersection with 10L/28R. It can be a bit odd cause sometimes you'll get a touch of air before you hit rotation speed, or get a little bump on the landing.

[@AndrewChronisterTV]

7 for 7. Not exactly an illusion but KCIR I was landing on Rwy 32. Touched down nice and smooth and was in the process of patting myself on the back when I noticed the enormous crown of intersecting runway 02-20 right in front of me. The aircraft became airborne again, for a moment anyways. That is when I really understood “Keep flying the airplane.” Can I count that as two landings?

[@milesj6064]

I am 7 for 7. There is a runway in northern canada, Uranium City that I had to ride over to with a company pilot and it has a hump in the middle where you can not see the other end. There was almost a collision on the airport at some point before we went there, as one pilot taxiied out to the end of the one runway and another taxiied out to the other as the first guy was going down the runway, they never saw each other until the one started his take off and came over the ridge. Being in uncontrolled space the one person was not broadcasting on the frequency of him taxiing or taking off. When I heard that story, it was something where you want to know your surroundings.

[@telvinthomas6407]

7 for 7 Jas!

[@mikezulu164]

7/7 - KSEZ SEDONA. On a Mesa with a nearly 2% slope, 90 ft difference from one end to the other. 67L MESQUITE near Las Vegas. Same thing, 2% slope and mountains make it difficult to land/takeoff both ways.

[@supra2800]

747. For my night training I found that with runway lights turned up it kinda blinded me making the black hole effect even worse. With runway lights at low, I could better see/sense the runway and didn't "crash" into it.

[@flyguy1637]

In Canada we need 20 hrs for a night rating. 10 instruments and 10 night hrs!

[@mancavetrades305]

7 for 7 . Finally caught up

[@peckea93]

7/7 (a day late). North Eleuthera seems very wide to me....flared early....

[@billlyl3725]

747, my fave jet!

[@richardkennedy7487]

7 for 7 and actually just had this... Christmas lights near the runway end markers (red and green) of approach to 35 at 1k1

[@joeberson6497]

7-4-7 thx guys. SEKIU WA, 11S. 33 miles west of KCLM.

[@josephsener420]

7 for 7. I landed at Marquette, Mi at the old KI Sawyer S.A.C. Base. 12,000 ft lang and 250 feet wide. Boy did I flair high!

[@JorgeNava-o9f]

7 for 7, I think desert field might be a bit more tricking with glare o mirage effect.

[@fdcap9835]

I few into SWF R/W 09 the taxi way back to take off was wider than my home airport runway (DXR)! Then i lined up on the displaced threshold to start my take off roll and was airborne before I reached the actual runway! (SWF is home to the ANG 105th Airlift wing. They fly the C-17’s)

[@jimocampo3343]

5 of 7 Angwin-Parrett in California 16 major upslope oh an you have to deal with trees on the approach

[@tomalway8889]

7 for 7. White Cloud, MI, 42C. Runway 18-36, 60 feet wide, 2900 feet long, no threshold and an uphill slope south to north.

[@brucecuratola6389]

7 for 7. An airport at night. Fighting those phobias you mentioned to land the same as day. Difficult.

[@danoneill7284]

7 for 7, A runway that is very challenging is 2W2 ( Clearview Airpark) Land here and you earn a coffee cup that says “ I have landed at Clearview Airport” the runway is short with a crazy hill at the end.

[@mrtrickz2982]

7/7 KPOU definitely for me

[@SpokesAndWings]

7 for 7 - Starting new mission with back country flying. Trigger Gap 17A - Upslope

[@kenrathjen2286]

7 for 7. Absolutely nothing unusual about my former home airport of KIDP. You're right about night flying. It's almost like flying by instruments only,. It was much less intimidating after I got my instrument rating!

[@TomKerber]

7/7. 8Y6, Leaders Clear Lake, MN. Small private/public strip, VFR only (no lights), listed as 3000' but the northern 1/3 is sod but the rest is paved.

[@jereberhard5529]

Seven of Seven. Well done, sirs! Jer/ Eberhard, Ft Collins Colorado Mountain Flying Aviation, LTD.

[@Nicer_after_flying]

747 - KFLP I did my instrument checkride there. Sloping narrow runway.

[@frankloy2701]

7 for 7: Blairsville,GA (KDZJ) runway 8/26 and 8 has a crazy downward slope.

[@TomKerber]

7/7. Duluth harbor airport, KDYT. Water on both sides of the runway. It's like landing on a land-based aircraft carrier.

[@HDDD2]

7 for 7; My home airport - KOLM - still has a little rise in the middle, even tough the FAA paid to take a lot of it out about 10 years ago. But the one that my CFI took me to that is “scary” is - 84WA - Elma Municipal; it is very small, has trees on the West end and a pond on the East end, pretty much a STOL airport - 1800’ long (short). My current CFI is reluctant to have his students do any “solo night flying”…