You want hazardous airstrips? How about these?

I've mentioned bush flying in Africa before, but I don't think I've written about mountain flying in Lesotho, a landlocked state surrounded by South Africa.  There, the Mission Aviation Fellowship co-operates with the government to host the Flying Doctor service as well.  They fly into airstrips carved out of the tops of mountains, or angled up and down the steep slopes.  It's a real adventure, particularly in light aircraft such as a Cessna 172 or 182 or 206.  For an overview of MAF's activities there, see this video.

Here are three Lesotho airstrips used by MAF.  Remember, all of them are at altitudes higher than 7,000 feet above sea level.  That's why landing and take-off speeds appear faster than usual - they have to be, in the thinner air at such altitudes, which are actually higher than the cruising altitude used by most light aircraft in (say) the USA.  Engine power is also sapped at such heights, making it harder to get a heavily-loaded aircraft off the ground.

I recommend watching these videos in full-screen mode for best results.

I've flown into some of those Lesotho mountain airstrips, sometimes in a small single-engined aircraft like those shown above, occasionally in a Twin Otter of Lesotho Airways. "Hairy" just about describes the experience!

Peter