What is the worlds smallest airport?

[Corbin]

Saw the post about "What's the biggest airport of the world" and since I have only been flying the J3 Cub after getting my "private pilots licence" just wondered where the worlds smallest airport might be?
Found this photo of the "Teenie Weenie Airport" with a J3 parked perfectly!
http://www.avialantic.com/performers/lehnert.html

Have flown from New York City all the way to Palm Springs....should arrive at LA Int. sometime tonight.  Has taken me about 15 days.  Will let everyone know about my adventure.....what a blast....too much fun!  A story full of "greenhorn" mistakes and flying excitement....its just a good thing I'm on a simulator!

[VPA_KTPA]

I would have to say one of the flat tops would be the shortest runways in the sim.i havent ever tried to land on one but i have heard of them in the sim.thats my guess.seems i have heard it takes a special aircraft to pull it off one with speed brakes that acts as a tail hook.

[flyboy 28]

You know, you can always make your own teensy airports in AFCAD...

[Corbin]

You are probibly right....flat tops would have to be on the top of the list.  Talk about efficient use of traffic, surface space and man power...the flat top has it.  I think a J3 could probibly take off just using the width instead of the length of the deck and who knows with a good headwind!?  I would like to try it in the sim of course but I haven't seen any flat tops?  Does anyone know the minimum take off and landing distance for a J3 Cub?  

[Corbin]

Flyboy 28 ~ Tell us more about AFCAD........  If its not to complicated I will give it a go.  I just had a thought.....if the stall speed of a J3 is somewhere around 45mph and the flat top is going 25 knots, the wind is blowing at 10 mph in your face  then you could land in about ____feet?.......forget it....sounds like one of those "think" math questions to me!  8)

[VPA_KTPA]

jcorbin i would like to try landing on the deck myself.but i havent seen one yet maybe someone will fill us in where there at so we could give it a go.i think it would be fun to try.i use to do it in the ole cfs2 days pretty well.but it would most shurely be a change of pace from grass and paved strips.

[Corbin]

EA_KATL:  I think Stormtropper might know...he uses a logo with a Tomcat taking off from a flat top.  Like you say in this forum....somebody knows!  However a flat top may only be available in CFS3?  Any way if we could get a few into FS2004 and clearance from the Navy to land on them....we could station 3 or 4 at strategic points in the Atlantic.    They could be used as a fun place to re-fuel when "crossing the pond" in light aircraft.  Wait a minute....then you have the problem of not having an arrestor hook and landing gear that could hold up to the impact of a carrier landing!  :-/   I know ~ "who needs a hook to do touch and goes"....could be fun!    

[ozzy72]

The smallest are skyscrapers with heli-pads on top. I've got an An-225 down on one, and taken off again. You just have to set the wind right and with enough strength to do a joke version of a carrier landing. There was a big competition with this in FS2k2 a while back.

Ozzy

[Corbin]

Ozzy:  I never even thought of a heli-pad?  Your right....boy they are small.  Just for fun...I tried to fly one of the helicopters in FS2004 on the "easy settings"...."no dice".....that is going to take a lot of practice.  I couldn't even land the thing "smoothly" with the entire runway under me!  So I am going to try them again after I get a bunch of hours flying prop jobs and hopefuly graduate thru jets....right now even the J3 seems to throw me a few curves.  

EA_KATL:  I found what we are looking for! Its an add on for FS2002 & FS2004 by Abacus, entitled Flight Deck III.  According to the box it goe's right into the sim, gives you an Aircraft Carrier the U.S.S. Washington and 6 (I think) flyable carrier aircraft...the F/A18C Hornet, F-14D Tomcat, AV-8BII Harrier, CH-46 Sea Knight, S-3 Viking, and the EZC Hawkey.    I looked at it at "CompUSA" if you have a store near you...its $19.95 ~ If not look for it on the internet....it may even be less expensive on line!    Here is a link....looks great, HUH!  http://www.abacuspub.com/catalog/s511.htm

[flyboy 28]

Corbin,

AFCAD is a program that allows you to design or modify airports in the sense of runways and taxiways and such. It's pretty simple to operate. It's available here--

http://www.simviation.com/fs2004utilities1.htm

Number three down.

[VPA_KTPA]

Thanks for the tip Corbin i will try and get that addon soon.looks like it would be much fun to see how fighter jocks live and opperate.

[Corbin]

Appreciate it Flyboy 28 ~ I will give it a try!  Thanks for the link.  

EA_KATL ~ I plan on purchasing Flight Deck III also....hey, I found out that the J3 Cub only needs 1,000 feet for take off and 1,500 feet for landing!  Those figures assume a weight of 1,220lbs @ sea level, no headwind, temp of 15 degrees Celsius, and a hard runway surface.  At 20mph the tail will rise and at approximatly 35mph, pull gently back on the stick and it will lift off @ about 39mph!  Sounds like it could take off on the "width" of the U.S.S. George Washington to me...unless I gain about 1,060lbs of personal weight!  

Ozzy ~ On the link for Flight Deck III....the screen shots show a Navy Helicopter just above the deck....bet with my copter experience I could strike fear into the entire crew!  

[sdodsworth]

Hmm, I guess I'm talking semantics here, but an airPORT is a place with customs facilities, as opposed to airFIELD (or even 'aerodrome', if you're in the RAF  ;D) which is any old piece of dirt, so it's a sensible question - just where is the shortest runway that can legally take international traffic??? Are there any helipads that qualify? What about those on oil platforms? One to ponder...

[Billerator]

There are always heliPORTS  ;D .

[sdodsworth]

Good point Billerator, I think I'll leave it there.  :D

BTW, small world ain't it. I live a doomed KingAir's hop from EGLK!