Landing at Skardu is no easy feat, with mountains as high at FL190 surrounding the airport,the approach is a fully VFR approach. Airlines operating there require their pilots to go through a special training to be able to operate the dangerous but lucrative route.
Located at the conjunction between the great Himalayan range and the Mighty Karakoram range, Skardu is a very attractive tourist destination due to having easy access thanks to Skardu International Airport.
In this Tutorial you will learn how to land at Skardu using official approach procedures.
There are two kinds of Approaches for Skardu :
Zulu bend approach (Difficult)
The Zulu bend approach is inherently for Turboprop aircraft or smaller aircraft which are unable to ascend higher than the terrain but it is also used by other aircraft in case the Skardu Valley has cloud cover.
This Approach involves following the valley from Gilgit to Skardu in fully VFR conditions and making a sharp turn between the mountains to enter the Skardu Valley.
A pretty straightforward approach in Infinite flight but the real challenge is to circle properly and watch your speed as you descend steeply. The approach is fully hand-flown after the left hand cross wind turn, although VNAV maybe used to aid in descent.
Just finished a flight from Islamabad to Skardu, and the approach was stunning @Captainhawkrige! The guide really is helpful and I did the circle approach!
