RUNWAY LENGTH

Many departments use a minimum number for runway length that might be higher than the calculated manufactures number on given day– The suggested number for this entry would be between 2000 and 4000 feet depending on aircraft and pilot skill. Many flight departments list a minimum runway length that (no matter what the manufacture performance charts say,) they never allow a operations on a runway less than say, 3900 feet. The Cessna 172N Skyhawk manual list a short field landing distance ground roll of 510 feet on a 0 degree Celsius day at 1000 pressure altitude. This number gives you the landing roll distance, it does not mean that it is safe to land on a runway that is only 600 feet long! If anything goes wrong you have no options on a short runway. Many pilots get very nervous when landing on short, narrow runways. They are nervous for a reason; recognize this now, so you can design parameters that attempt to eliminate those nervous situations. No passenger wants to be flying in an airplane that is being flown by a pilot that is uncertain, uneasy or nervous about what he or she is doing. List a minimum number and live by it. If situations or your skill level change at a later date, you can change it.