Platinum Airways Visits Extreme Runways

Platinum Airways, the very virtual Open Skies airline, has revealed its September Destination of the Week theme. Extreme Runways will visit the world’s shortest and longest runways that have scheduled and non-scheduled service. Extreme Runways is bound to be an extremely challenging series.

Extreme Runways will offer exactly what it says: the world’s longest and shortest runways with and without scheduled service. The series will kick off with the shortest commercial airport: Saba (TNCS), with a length of 1,299 ft and its extremely challenging approach. Next up is the longest non-commercial airport: Edwards Air Force Base’s extended RWY 17/35, with a length of 39,907 ft, although only 15,000 ft is paved – the rest is on a dry lake bed. From there we’ll visit the shortest runway altogether: according to our research, it is 0WN5 or Potts Field in North Cape, Wisconsin, with its 150 ft turf surface runway. And we end the series with the longest runway with scheduled service: Qamdo Bamda (ZUBD) in Tibet, with a length of 18,045 ft and elevation of 14,219 ft or 4,334 m. ZUBD is extremely challenging, with the thin air at that elevation.

As per Platinum Airways DOTW routine, pilots will be offered navigational charts. In addition, links to scenery files (FS9, FSX and X-Plane) and other aids are provided. And when applicable, Platinum Airways usually succeeds in negotiating favourable conditions for its members for the specific destination’s duration. Pilots visiting a current DOTW are rewarded with a 5% bonus. Past DOTW’s remain available to pilots through an archive system.

About Platinum Airways:
Keen to deliver on its mission to keep the fun in the hobby, Platinum Airways is probably the only virtual airline to combine an Open Skies policy, allowing its pilots to fly any mission of their choice with the aircraft of their choice at the time of their choice, with a strategic hub network. The carefully selected hubs, Newark (KEWR), Dallas-Fort Worth (KDFW), Vancouver (CYVR), Perth (YPPH) and Brussels (EBBR), should be attractive to a global membership. In addition, Platinum Airways offers its pilots an often cheeky Destination of the Week and Relief and Military Missions. Sticking to the KISS principle (Keep It Straight and Simple), Platinum Airways hosts an active forum and a screenshot of the week competition, with the winner providing the main picture on its home page for the next week.  For more information, please visit www.platinumairways.org or mail info [at] platinumairways.org.