Imagine you are approaching a land-ing strip, which is at an elevation of 5,500 feet msl. It is located in a confined valley with a steep rock wall opposite the approach end of the strip. To successfully land you have to fly a base leg with the rock wall 50 to 100 feet off your right wingtip. Any closer and you could hit the wall. Any further out and you won't make the landing. There are specified "benchmarks" along the wall that help you time your turn to final. Once you roll out on the very short final approach, you have only five seconds to determine if you are going to make it or if you need to abort the landing. After that you are committed because the high terrain surrounding the airport makes a successful go-around unlikely. Did I mention that the landing strip is only 1,450 feet long? That it has a slope starting at 3 percent at the approach end and increasing to 11 percent at the top? That as you approach the strip, it is surrounded by people, with a large group standing at the far end of the runway?
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