Europe's toughest airport landing used to be a lot harder

Funchal Airport, on the island of Madeira, was too short for modern commercial airliners: but there was nowhere to extend to. The solution is one of the greatest civil engineering projects of our time.
Producer: Aitken Pearson firecrestindependent.com
Assistant Producer: Elsa Gouveia
Camera: Elton Cantoni
Editor: Dave Stevenson davestevenson.co.uk
The 1990 photo of the airport is by Peter Forster, "pizzodisevo 1937", and was posted to Flickr under a Creative Commons by-sa 2.0 license here: www.flickr.com/photos/3181872... - license details at creativecommons.org/licenses/...
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[@TomScottGo]

I've got another channel that's about collaborating with other KZbinrs! The most recent video is way outside of my comfort zone, and I'm really proud of it, if only for the part where I'm defeated by sheep: kzbin.info/www/bejne/imXXlI13mdqcjM0

[@mancitykshah2737]

Sheep is the GOAT

[@user-pf1jq9pb6t]

Great!

[@dennisbrannvalls1fan964]

1 day ago, classic Tom Scott

[@quinnipi2400]

When did I ask

[@markmcconnell5968]

Noice

[@ondank]

This week in "Tom wants to find a way to make a holiday a business expense" we have ... Madeira!

[@leedsmanc]

Next week the amazing design history of those little cocktail umbrellas, initially designed, here, at the Copacabana

[@AnotherAvaibleName]

😆

[@lifthras11r]

You don't get the interview and production team for a holiday ;-)

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

He's been stuck in Britain for so long.

[@BalthorYT]

@@lifthras11r Who says they aren't on holiday too? Hahahaha

[@jadavanderheijden9363]

I am literally right there right now, it is kinda surreal to see Tom talking about this runway we've been driving under so many times this week.

[@pvic6959]

are you the car at 3:09 😂

[@ziggydeer4401]

@@pvic6959 Tom's videos are filmed multiple weeks, or months before the video actually goes up, so unless they're having an extended getaway, probably not 😅

[@zygis1819]

Crash as fast as you can into one of those pillars. Hehehehe.

[@fullnuclearbreakfast]

@@zygis1819 wow, rude

[@WanganTunedKeiCar]

If it can sustain geological movements, i dont think a little pebble hitting its foot will do much

[@BazilRat]

He's not wrong. This is the kind of thing where he's been a civil engineer for more than 25 years after the project (god that make me feel old...) and it's still a career-defining 'I was part of the team that did this' structure.

[@HTOP1982]

I was one of those 1500. Funny fact Is that a lot of the pillars are actually where there used to be sea, so we had to cofferdam and rockfill the area. So it's a bridge, over the sea where planes land.

[@ajfurnari2448]

It's always a good thing, as long as it's a good project, designed and built well. Being an engineer on the KCMO Hyatt Regency Hotel walkway or a Ford Pinto..... not as much fun

[@user-op8fg3ny3j]

@@HTOP1982 any advice for people who want to become engineers?

[@d00mf00d]

Don't think we need a KZbin commenter to vet a 25 + year civil engineers statement.

[@Superphilipp]

We don‘t need KZbin commenters at all. And yet, here you are.

[@jordantierney6495]

Nobody’s talking about how the engineer at the end acknowledged the role of the construction team. As an engineering student , I know a lot of times engineers like to take all the credit. But that guys right, engineers can’t do anything if there’s no one to build the design. What a class act.

[@mammocas]

In Portuguese culture (and Europeans in general) you won't hear people saying "I did it" it's always "WE did it". It's simply good etiquette, and you're supposed to follow it. Very different from the USA, where the opposite is expected. Source: am Portuguese, moved to the US, and had to relearn how to talk about my work, otherwise would never get promoted :)

[@rjung_ch]

He's right, the workers built it, 1500 construction workers!

[@zzing]

@@mammocas I work for an American company, as a Canadian. I have never had any issues talking about what I did - I know what I did - but we also know how to talk about it as a team because the we is how we put together things to sell! It is interesting to hear about Portuguese culture like that, it seems like a nice way to be modest and build up everyone at the same time.

[@jenelaina5665]

Seconded. You know he's done the math of how many total years of lives were dedicated to making that happen and appreciated everyone being on point in their role to get it done. Respect.

[@mytech6779]

Yes it is good manners for public speaking. However, in many or most cases the engineers are in a constant battle to inspect work and prevent the construction team from cutting corners. (Which has been the cause of numerous accidents, structural failures and reduced life/durability problems) I've had the same issues with ground services crews in aviation, they don't understand the underlying detail so they think they can ignore protocol and procedures that are actually in place because of past accidents (That the crew does not know about because they didn't take whole courses in accident case studies and hazard mitigation, and some may not even have the cognitive ability to comprehend the impact of their alterations when specifically explained.) It isn't every construction worker at issue but there are enough mixed into any team that, along with business pressures, the general issue is a very real hazard.

[@WhyFi59]

Something Tom didn't mention was that, prior to the extension, TAP Portugal Flight 425 fatally overran the runway at Madeira airport in 1977. This remains, to this date, TAP's only fatal accident on record. Due to the alarming safety concerns following Portugal's flag carrier having such a tragic accident, this was the main event that prompted the successive extension works on the runway of this airport.

[@davidg9373]

Llllpp

[@kayzeaza]

But the runway was not extend until 1995

[@ricdotnet]

@@kayzeaza it was on the old runway. slightly over 1000m shorter that it is now

[@kayzeaza]

@@ricdotnet no I mean it was over 20 years after the accident that the runway was extended. So I don’t think the crash played that heavy of a role in them extending it

[@ricdotnet]

@@kayzeaza ah fair 😅 yes you’re right. It was more the necessity for tourism growth.

[@KCTalksEV]

When Tom said "for most passengers this is a normal landing at a normal airport". I think that summarises engineering: allows the difficult, almost impossible without the vast majority of people realising (while still somehow within technological and budget constraints).

[@magicalhobo3000]

If you do things right, people won't know you've done anything at all.

[@FantomRick]

Y2K anyone?

[@twistedtachyon5877]

"Then do the hill-tops shake to the summit-then is the bed of the deep laid bare,That the Sons of Mary may overcome it, pleasantly sleeping and unaware."

[@jameshollen9723]

@@magicalhobo3000 THAT is the key !

[@stevemichael8458]

Though I've landed at Funchal - and it's not in any way 'normal'. It's spectacular!

[@plaetzchen86]

I really appreciate you leaving everybody who doesn't speak English speak their native language in these videos and then subtitle them, I really enjoy hearing the nuances in their voices.

[@LeopardMask12]

Same! I'm fascinated by languages and accents and it's lovely to hear these people talk about their passion in the language they're most familiar with. It probably helps bring out the tone and emotion in what they're saying, as well, as they aren't being talked over nor do they have to focus extra on the language they're speaking in.

[@ThePmso]

A curiosity: it's really hard to make a portuguese speak in portuguese for a foreigner. We are really good at languages, so we immediately try to speak in english, spanish or french

[@dharma404]

@@ThePmso true

[@Ozuhananas]

@@ThePmso True, but I'm glad Tom managed to do that for the this video and the previous one, I don't hear Portuguese often apart from when I go there for holidays and a little refresher is always good, a language you don't use becomes rusty fairly quickly

[@BearingAwayUK]

I understand the sentiment, however it does mean that those of us who are visually impaired and cannot read subtitles are excluded whenever Tom takes this approach. If only there was a way that dubbing could be provided for those who need it, but turned off for those who don’t.

[@GadgetAddict]

I've landed on this in some flight simulators and I can confirm that even with 30 minutes of practice, it's a difficult runway to land on.

[@meta_username]

Oh please, I bet I could land a plane there with my eyes closed. Whether or not they would stay closed for the rest of time is irrelevant.

[@oskrm]

@@meta_username You could definitely land at least once.

[@rominkivela9351]

@@oskrm landing is easy. landing *safely* is the hard part

[@Nabend1402]

@@meta_username "A good landing is one that you can walk away from. A great landing is one where they can reuse the plane." - Douglas Richardson, Cabin Pressure

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

I found that landing there in a sim gets significantly easier when you fly in VR. It helps immensly in judging the right angle and height for the turn towards the runway.

[@Swiss001]

We live for Tom Scott‘s airport videos

[@leannexu3362]

Woah Swiss is here

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

There are just so many interesting airports.

[@m.amadeo3434]

butter

[@cl4589]

Can't wait to see you land a plane in there! :P

[@nicololorenzon3291]

lmaooo

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

That is one heck of an engineering feat! And extra comfort for the passengers, you know you've got some of the world's best commercial pilots flying you in and out. Great video, Tom. Hope you enjoyed your time there!

[@TheSkypetube]

That's one hell of a swear son

[@41-Haiku]

@@TheSkypetube I'm not your son, kid. (Wait, wrong website.)

[@chris-hayes]

@@TheSkypetube it was appropriately used. OP being considerate towards the younger viewers who watch Tom Scott.

[@hb1338]

... and also Ryanair pilots.

[@TheMetakev]

I like Tom's description of Madeira being just a mountain sticking out of the ocean because that's literally what it is, no matter where you want to go you'll be going up or downhill, a walk could technically be considered a hike, and driving a manual car here can get really tough. I remember when the runway was being built too, my workplace is almost just bellow it so I get to hear them planes arrive all day, (though a moderatelly bad weather day is enough to detour planes elsewhere). I still get nervous when I take trips outside the island, landings DO get really bumpy, massive respect for the pilots.

[@RobBCactive]

Not to mention taking sleighs down the street 😁

[@TheMetakev]

@@RobBCactive speaking of the Tobogan in another town called Ponta do Sol there is a small yearly event where people make wodden mechanical cars and then drive them downhill, it's really cool.

[@RobBCactive]

@@TheMetakev I have seen a coastal village in Devon without a road to it, there they pulled provisions on sleds over the narrow cobble paths

[@Vanta_Blue]

Rather a manual than an automatic gearbox in such an area, so you can use engine brake to alleviate the use of normal brakes.

[@jlcfreitas]

god tier drivers are born here just because of it, we barely have automatic transmission cars

[@paulborisiv519]

Fun Fact: Madeira is portuguese for "Wood" The reason dates back to when we found it, as much as it was a mountain, it was an incredibly thick forest, the settlers decided that instead of cutting them down to make space, it would be more efficient to just simply burn it, they say it burned for entire months due to the sheer thickness of the woodland there. this is really fun to watch, good to see you hop by portugal Tom! would love for you to cover some more portugal stuff! for example the Museum-looking Mcdonalds in Porto (super cool), or our cork industry, i have a phone, that, aside from the electronics and screen obviously, is made from cork...

[@alexbvv]

Damn, that's a shame, good sturdy wood is very expensive in today's market.

[@Shinzon23]

Wait, wouldn't having the case out of wood have issues with either overheating/fire or corroding the circuitry?

[@matheussanthiago9685]

trees exists anywhere: europeans: then I took it personally

[@paulborisiv519]

@@Shinzon23 apperantly not, its been working fine for the last 2 years and 6 months, all it has is issues being slow... i mean, it is 2+ years old so its to be expected, fairly cheap too, 64gb storage for around 120 euros, not an iphone, but i don't want camera quality or all these advanced features, i just want usability and storage, and i found this one to be perfect, the cork is a side perk for coolness value.

[@AdeleiTeillana]

Well that adds a very sour and heart breaking tone to the video. I know that was probably hundreds of years ago but it's always stunning how little Europeans cared about the environment and the animals that made their homes in the environment. I wonder how many died in that burning?

[@Ellyerre]

Just to make it clear, the last accident (TAP Air Portugal Flight 425) in 1977 which killed 131 people was one of the reasons this runway extension was later made. There hasn't been any incidents on the runway since the extension.

[@ruigouveia7494]

Not this extension. In 1986 the runway was extended from 1600 meters to 1800. The extension in year 2000 of 1000 more meters was simply to allow the island tourism to expand

[@alphapt9370]

Just to make it clear, you're incorrect. As stated many times, the extension was made to accommodate the bigger airliners that were being built, and the need to keep up, as Madeira is an island that relies on tourism to survive. That was even shown on the airport inauguration, where they had a 747-200 land there. And, outside Flight Sim enthusiasts, that was the only time that kind of aircraft landed there. As even the commander of that flight commented it was probably not the safest thing to do on a daily basis. So, know your facts and stop spreading false statements.

[@AA-tz2bm]

@@alphapt9370 so the biggest thing to go there was a 747-200?

[@dontspikemydrink9382]

@@alphapt9370 cope with ratio bruh

[@callmeshaggy5166]

@@alphapt9370 nah OP is right. Deal with it?

[@eldronado]

I had a pleasure of landing on that airport during one of the windiest times. 2 days later the airport was closed for almost 3 days due to wind. Pilots did an outstanding job, but I will forever remember looking out of the window, seeing the landing strip and my brain kicking in with the realization that we are at something close to a 45 degree angle to the landing strip. Quick heart attack later we were safely on the ground. Amazing what these pilots can do.

[@HTOP1982]

It is a short final for sure!

[@Motocicleiros]

I cannot agree that it has been a *pleasure*. Maybe thrilling but definitely not a pleasure.

[@callmeshaggy5166]

Crab landing

[@hb1338]

@@HTOP1982 The instrument approach in the opposite direction is about as easy as it gets. My Portuguese friend says that in the planning stages the joke was that it would be easier to build some giant wind shields, so that the easy approach was more often available.

[@MadeiraAirport]

Really cool video about my airport, great job Tom!

[@postmasterspecific]

Wow how perfect that you’re account is literally about this airport, that’s really cool

[@pyRoy6]

Do planes land and take off in both directions? I took a look at a handful of your videos and it looks like they always head toward the elevated section (which feels safer, even if it might not really make a difference).

[@MadeiraAirport]

@@postmasterspecific Thanks a lot :)

[@MadeiraAirport]

@@pyRoy6 Yes, depending on the wind direction, both runways can be used!

[@pyRoy6]

@@MadeiraAirport Oh! I'll look for videos of that. Are they labeled?

[@JonReevesLA]

"This is safe" -- Tom, while standing in the middle of a road with a car approaching from behind.

[@goncalopita8891]

i live in Madeira but study in Porto soo i have to land there so much times, its kinda fun, never get scared, just need to trust the piltots and all their experience

[@maddy3852]

That's so interesting. Good luck from America!

[@Uncle_T]

I went there in the 80's before the extension. The landing was of the faster, harder (Scooter) type for sure, and the plane had to have very little fuel in it on the return trip to Sweden to be able to take off so we had to make a brief stop-over in Portugal on the way home to re-fuel. :)

[@martinspencer1618]

Our plane refuelled on Porto Santo, so the tanks must have been almost empty on take-off!

[@ItsEphora]

You get a like for the Scooter reference

[@jareknowak8712]

Arlanda Airport!!

[@Uncle_T]

@@ItsEphora Haha thanks! 😁

[@hb1338]

@@jareknowak8712 Bromma to you.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

We went to Madeira on holiday before the extension and the runway was scary short. You could really feel the pilots were super focused on the approach and applied maximum breaks as soon as they had gottent all wheels on the runway. It was never a question of being beyond the limits but you could really feel the safety limit wasn't very far away. Easily the most intense landing I've ever experienced.

[@Uncle_T]

Yup exactly that. 🙂

[@brunoais]

I double on that

[@FoxieDay]

Can’t be completely maximum brakes except in emergencies, that’d melt the wheels off completely, risk a fire, and would be very costly to repair

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

@@FoxieDay Did I say over the limit? Yes? No? I said within the limits....

[@brunoais]

@@FoxieDay It's max auto-brakes. Not definitive max braking capability of the plane :)

[@enbyennui]

The interviewee for this video was fantastic. He's absolutely right - these projects aren't made by one planner or one politician, they're the combined labour of thousands of dedicated people.

[@ashleystrout6651]

I've known about this runway for a while, but it was interesting to see a more detailed video about its construction and the forces the builders were contending with. Thank you, Tom. And now I want to go to Madeira.

[@k9carry-gabriel-803]

It's a great place, my girlfriend is from Madeira and we have been there a couple times and it is awesome. You want beach ? Just drive an hour to one. You want mountain ? Same story. What i advise you to do is don't stick just to the typical tourist places, like the restaurants or coffee shops by the beach, but just go where the locals usually go and you will find the best food and service.

[@hotman_pt_]

@@k9carry-gabriel-803 good touristic places are just a plague in this island. If you want authenticity, you should always keep away from them

[@johnathantaylor5913]

We often take architecture for granted but to actually think that humans designed and made things like this possible is just mind blowing.

[@HezJP]

Landed with a stuck landing gear when I was a kid coming here on holiday with fire engines following us down the runway - this brought back some memories!

[@ytlurker220]

As an avgeek I'm so glad you covered this! How interesting, a true marvel of modern engineering - I'm so glad a unique airport like this exists. Very cool to see it from a different angle. It's so fun to land here on a simulator, and it's the best for spotting.

[@Opus313]

Once again Tom provides information I didn't know that I wanted to know!

[@keptick]

The scale with the pillars is very reminiscent of the mines of Moria from lotr. Absolutely insane!

[@kindlin]

Oh, wow. So true! Love that.

[@jenniferlawrence9473]

A lot of people believe this is the site of ancient Atlantis. My friend wanted to vacation there and they couldn't land because of the wind.

[@aarondavis8943]

Yes! Must have been challenging to clear out all the orcs...and that other guy 😰

[@octaviews]

As a Madeiran abroad I absolutely love the fact that even on Holidays you find a way to find something interesting to show us.

[@totrigo6834]

0:12 That isn't exactly true. The plateau of Paul da Serra is both long and flat enough. The main reason why it has been discarded as a location for a new airport is because of the adverse weather conditions up there at 1400 meters in altitude, even worse than where the current airport stands. It also gets the occasional dusting of snow in the winter; would be funny to see the tourists' faces when arriving at their subtropical island vacation in that scenario.😅 Side note: the Madeira Islands sit on the African plate are closer to Africa than to Europe, geographically they are part of the African continent.

[@sunvieightmaster88]

Tom is a type of teacher that every Students want.

[@therandomman1171]

Very professional as always, great translation and a huge thank you from all portuguese people to Tom and his team for showing a part of the world that usually doesn't get much attention and sometimes is even confused with our Spanish neighbors.

[@dingleberry12349]

I absolutely love flying into this airport in simulators! The wind makes it extremely challenging and fun.

[@ieatbananaskins7926]

Wow the Mines of Moria have changed a lot

[@alexrobinson8146]

I've got to wonder what people's reactions were when someone first suggested building it like this!

[@WanderTheNomad]

I wonder if anyone said that it's impossible

[@danielmartins5795]

For the curious: the area under that infrastructure has been used as a sports park since 2007, called the «Água de Pena's Sports Park», which roughly translates to Feather's Water, named after a small water cliff that existed there centuries ago.

[@RFC-3514]

While "pena" is indeed the modern Portuguese word for "feather" or "quill" (sharing its root with the English word "pen"), in this case I'm willing to bet it comes from "penha" (an archaic word meaning "rock" or "cliff", still used in Spanish with the spelling "peña"). "Água de Pen(h)a" would mean something like "Cliffwater".

[@pedropalito7117]

@@RFC-3514 That is a good comparison, altought we do have what you might call a regionalism related to that. 'Água de pena' is also used as a measure of water here, for example I get my water from a fountain uphill and the ammount of water is the size of the inside of a feather (the hollow part).

[@stetsuninu2374]

LOVE the Engineer! His bit at the end is just absolutely inspiring

[@jonathanl8538]

The driver at 3:07 is like "Is that Tom Scott? I'm outta here…"

[@EdTheSurvivor]

I'm literally at this airport right now, being stalked by Tom Scott

[@cheezygui5803]

I saw the thumbnail and I instantly knew that was my Madeira, I’m glad it’s getting some recognition especially from someone so known like you. I remember my uncle telling me that people gathered to watch the demolition of buildings to build the bridge. Also when I was younger and lived there a fun fair was always set up under the bridge and I would go with my grandad

[@lauderday8]

Having family there, I landed on this airport countless times and it's a joy ride every single time. Happy to see Tom make a video about it, since my grandfather was one of the people providing material for the airport

[@ShadowDrakken]

Another fun airport if you ever get the chance: Toncontin Airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Considered the most dangerous airport landing in the world. Landed there (as a passenger) several times while working out in the middle of Honduras. The approach is rather scary because the runway is in a bowl in the mountains, so the aircraft have to come in from the side, make an abrupt turn and drop several hundred feet all at once.

[@uaadshjllbfgngfmhthp]

OMG! I am from Madeira and literally returned home today and landed in this airport! Such a joy to see yet another Tom Scott video about my homeland! Hope you had a blast here and keep those videos about Madeira coming, Tom!

[@pedropalito7117]

É sempre divertida a aterragem!

[@Cookie1994UK]

I've had the pleasure of landing in Funchal. One of the highlights of my career so far. It's a really unique place and a very interesting approach. The only place I've been to where they tell you the wind direction and speed not just at the runway, but also at two other points along the approach, all of which have to be within prescribed parameters.

[@Jules-77]

I like the respect you give your interviewees by showing them with their input in their own language.

[@alameachan]

Your videos always give me hope that, if we put our minds to it and work together as one species, we can achieve anything and everything. That's a fantastic message nowadays.

[@x9x9x9x9x9]

How is this never talked about? This is insane human engineering!

[@peterjf7723]

I hadn't heard anything about this before seeing this video.

[@GumSkyloard]

Portugal as a whole is very much underrated, and specially the Islands.

[@Pascaleiro]

I'm from Portugal, have seen many photos of that runway and never noticed it's built like a bridge... Thanks, Tom

[@The_oli4]

I love how humble the engineer is and how he included the whole team in this project

[@michaelhope8899]

Thats absolutely fantastic. Thank you, Tom!

[@hjalfi]

I've been to Madeira and landed here! It was... abrupt. Sharp turns, and rather enthusiastic braking maneouvre, but I survived. I can strongly recommend a visit, BTW; Madeira is fantastic, with ridiculously steep and varied terrain, excellent food, and lovely people. There's a walk along the spine of the island where you're essentially on a path a metre wide with nothing on each side of you but a few kilometres of air...

[@Shylo2017]

Guessed it before I read the description. My family's favourite holiday destination, found by my grandparents over 40 years ago. So many memories there!😎

[@jayce8001]

Hats off to the engineers and construction crew for this astounding piece. Wow.

[@harbl99]

China: "We make the craziest megastructures the world has ever seen." Portugal: "Hold my glass of Madiera."

[@m1n1alex99]

Madeira mal escrito é crime 💀

[@zaeblet_]

Ah, aviation. One of my inexplicable interests. Thanks, Tom.

[@owenfink]

As long as you keep finding and showcasing cool stuff like this, I will continue watching. This was great and I can't wait for more!

[@jackiel9927]

This was an amazing video, thank you for highlighting the challenges and importance of this engineering structure

[@paulfaulkner6299]

Tom, you always have bloody good content. Short, punchy & very interesting. Well done again on a decent film! And thankyou too.

[@BD-yl5mh]

Quite often the people Tom interviews are quite technical, but this guy was almost a poet

[@GumSkyloard]

Which is funny, 'cuz in Portugal, that's about normal technical talk.

[@caspenbee]

The engineer had me tearing up. He speaks very beautifully about the project.

[@JohnVanRiper]

This is really cool, thanks for sharing all these neat places with us Tom!

[@corentindockx]

As a pilot I’m hoping to land there myself one day. I have done this approach a thousand times on simulator, and it would be a dream come true to do it in real life. I live there now and it is an amazing island, with a very special airport indeed ! Thank you for the video.

[@MrDanmjack]

I’ve flown into here. It’s pretty worrying seeing the sea and the cliffs so close then having a stilted runway appear out of no where

[@edwardcoe7293]

It's safe because people have worked very hard to identify the dangers, find engineering and training solutions and implemented them. That 'bloody health and safety' crew again. Great video.

[@jroastpotatoes]

Your snippets of knowledge make me happy in a world view they makes it so hard to feel that way, thankyou.x

[@jennyd255]

In 1966 what was the second or third flight of my life ended with a landing on the then much shorter Funchal runway. The terror of that landing was such that now, a full 56 year later, I can still recall it, and perhaps slightly comically for a six year old who knew nothing of aeroplanes, worriedly asking my mother if the pilots knew what they were doing? That's a measure of how frightening the uber steep descent was... Maybe before I die I can try out the new extended strip. It should be a breeze by comparison.

[@ruigouveia7494]

It is indeed. The only this that makes it trickier nowadays is the wind, but in a normal day its a breezy soft calm landing

[@Boatti_]

Very interesting to see videos from abroad. Keep up the great work!

[@albinblomdahl4489]

It's really good that you give attention to the people who made these fantastic structures that we take for granted, I admire your work Tom😃👌

[@frenato00]

amazing to see Tom making more videos about our island. Cheers

[@kosmischesynth]

Another interesting runway I saw was in Gibraltar, where the runway is built out into the sea, and has the town's only access road running right across the middle of it! I'd love to see a video about how all that works

[@filanfyretracker]

having a flight delay because traffic is backed up across the runway due to a wreck on the other side or on the runway itself and having to wait for the police to finish their investigation. I did just look at it on Google Maps in satellite mode and there is some big construction project on the eastern end of the runway that looks like a freeway, I wonder if the airport got tired of fighting with the DOT over traffic timing and is building a bypass.

[@kosmischesynth]

@@filanfyretracker I was there a few weeks ago and I didn't see that. But one of my friends did have a flight delay because of "seaweed on the runway"...

[@ruigouveia7494]

Runway built into the sea is quite a common thing these days. But a highway running through the middle is definitely what makes Gibraltar special and different

[@lorenzo1660]

yes, it's kind of fun when you are crossing the runway with your car, and you forget to check for airplanes coming...😄

[@ruigouveia7494]

@@lorenzo1660 as if you would just access a live runway without any control whatsoever

[@demoproud01]

I remember the tradition for the passengers to applaud the pilots when the plane fully stopped. Landing a 737 back in 1994 before the extension project started wasn't an easy feat

[@kickedinthecalfbyacow7549]

I don’t think you could land there in a B747 unless it was completely empty.

[@demoproud01]

You're right, I meant a 737.

[@theygotgunskorben3851]

I love the guy you interviewed. very humble in his shared achievement.

[@wdwerker]

I like seeing input from someone involved in the creation of a project.

[@momo-lz9kw]

Ur videos r informative but at the same time it doesn't bore me out ... Keep up the good work m8

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

The concrete is very reinforced and everything looks stable, but even so, I'd still be a little anxious walking under it, worried that it'll collapse with potential seismic activity

[@scuttthegut8048]

Yea

[@kailacine4382]

Sir, with respect, shoo.

[@woutervanr]

You have that same axiety when walking under other structures as well then I presume? This probably has a higher safety standerd than a lot of other stuff you've walked udner.

[@SonofTheMorningStar666]

@@woutervanr It's one of those spam bot channels. Don't engage.

[@sebastiaomendonca1477]

When actually standing under it you finally get a sense of how thick those pillars are. It looks completely stable and safe seen from below

[@matthewjohnson7984]

I love videos like these. Simple, short, but informative and entertaining.

[@aglenrios]

Fascinating. You are really good at showing off these interesting architecture/engineering projects.

[@sunvieightmaster88]

This Airport is an interesting historical place.

[@davidford85]

The shear amount of engineering needed just to extend this runway is breath-taking. And to think people suggested building raised runways over cities. Even ignoring the circular aspect of those proposed runways, the engineering involved would just have been absolutely insane.

[@Erik_The_Viking]

Nice story - the engineering behind that is simply incredible. Mad respect to that team. Very clever and creative solution to a problem.

[@Hypertropes]

This was lovely. I really enjoyed hearing the engineer speak. What a class act!

[@FixTheWi-Fi]

Feel like it never really occured to me just how BIG aeroplane runways actually are, before seeing the scale in this video. Holy...

[@Motocicleiros]

One of the nicest parts of this video is that being a Brazilian myself I could understand the whole testimonial of the Portuguese engineer Paulo Lourenço without reading the captions. 😁

[@jgodfrey546]

Another gem, Tom. Thx much!

[@McRocket]

I really enjoyed watching this. Thank you Thomas. ☮

[@Wizzky1]

I agree.

[@miniak9593]

I also agree.

[@agluebottle]

Went there on a belated honeymoon in November 2021. Got a good look at the airport before the pilot did the big final U-turn. I said to myself "We going to land on THAT?!". Whole plane clapped when we came to a stop and began taxiing to the terminal. Madeira was fantastic, by the way!

[@tyberfen5009]

What a truely astonishing feat of engineering. The hope to one day work on such a project is what keeps me going in engineering school

[@theflyingroofer8182]

Been a fan for a while and I grew up there. Awesome video glad you visited!

[@GummieI]

So in a weird way, the fact it is so dangerous to land there, means as a passenger it might be one of the safest flights xD (Since you are sure to have some of the best of the best pilots flying the plane)

[@mastakilla_2k218]

True

[@hb1338]

Nope. The extra training is trivial. I know of no airline that selects pilots for flights to Madeira, it is scheduled like all other destinations.

[@pdrmnds]

You mentioned that this is safe and that from the passenger POV it's no different than any other airport. I would say that it is in fact different in order to make it safe. The reason is that is very common for flights to divert because the pilot can't land safely. I've been there multiple times and have family there. This happens... a lot.

[@MichaelSteeves]

There is an old saying: "Good design in 99% invisible." You don't notice things precisely because they were well designed.

[@HTOP1982]

I have been flown there upwards of 30 times. Not a single aborted landing, not a single go around in all those 30 times. But it does get reported immediately because of the reputation of the airport.

[@erkinalp]

Why not schedule those flights as no diversions permitted?

[@tsm688]

@@erkinalp They're not diverting for fun. Forcing them to land in those conditions may actually be unsafe.

[@caitthenerd7470]

@@erkinalp No diversions permitted would mean in the event of being unable to land at the destination, the pilots would have no option other than to just crash and kill everyone. Perhaps use your 3 functioning brain cells and think before you type?

[@monibstar]

Wow my favourite topic aviation finally covered! Thank you!

[@peasedustin]

you always find the most interesting stuff. thank you!

[@Croz89]

I've been to Porto Santo just north of Madeira, the runway there is fairly conventional, the only notable thing being that it almost bisects the island.

[@snakedoktor6020]

And?

[@BathroomTile]

@@snakedoktor6020 who hurt you?

[@hotman_pt_]

Yes it literally cuts it almost in half

[@idiotminds8134]

I was here a couple of months ago and as the plane was about the touch the runway they pulled up heavly to go for a second aproch because they were going to fast. Never seen anything like it.

[@MarkusManon]

Once again, a knowledgeable and utterly charming interviewee. Tom really knows how to find em

[@DXR13KE]

Another video about my island! Thank you Tom!!!

[@CallieMasters5000]

Have you done an update on Gibraltar airport? It's difficult to land and they were building a tunnel under it last time I heard. Also, St. Helena airport is quite a story in itself.

[@hb1338]

St Helena airport is a classic case of stupid politicians spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar. Two different lead contractors walked away from the project because a sensible well thought out design was butchered to a point where the airport is nearly unusable, with no possibility of any remedial work for at least twenty years.

[@ronin84]

Those shots under the structure are awe-inspiring. Such a great sense of scale really well represented here. Good job!

[@TonyRidesDirtbikes]

What an amazing structure. Thanks Tom for the video 👍

[@LisbonAirportSpotting]

Great Video Tom! I had the opportunity to follow this engineering work since I was a child, my father was one of the engineers of the extension of the track. That's when my passion for airplanes grew!