Short history
Donegal was recently touted as the most scenic airport in the world for the second year running by an industry trade magazine. I’m sure there may be objections to the order of placement given the next nearest competitors on the list, but there can be no question of the stunning views that accompany a flight into Donegal. Located near the northwestern tip of Ireland, the airport is about a 45-minute flight from Dublin or Glasgow. Commencing operations in 1986 with funding from local, national and European sources, the airfield was expanded from its grass strip roots to a hard surface runway. In the 1990s, further expansion was launched resulting in the airport as it sits today with 4,908ft of paved runway, two small ramps, navigation aids and a terminal building.
Operators
A variety of airlines have operated to Donegal over previous decades as the winds of aviation economics can be as variable as the winds sweeping across the macadam at Donegal. Inaugural service via Cork and Dublin was initiated in 2007 by Aer Arann, which would eventually operate ATR-42 aircraft to Donegal under the Aer Lingus Regional brand, which continues to this day under the same branding but with Stobart Air being the parent company. Other entrants into the market over the years have included CityJet Fokker 50s and Loganair Saab 340s. Passenger embarkations have hovered at an average of around 43,000 annually over the past decade. General aviation operations cover the spectrum from light single-and multi-engine piston aircraft to turboprops and light jets. Civil and military helicopters have a notable presence at the airport due to the close proximity of offshore oil and gas industry platforms and as a base for marine search and rescue services.
Facilities
Donegal consists of a single paved runway (03/21) that parallels the adjacent Carrickfinn Beach to the west and broad, sandy tidal flats to the east. The 4,908ft x 98ft runway slopes slightly upwards (0.4%) to the north with the threshold of Runway 03 at an elevation of 10ft and the threshold of 21 at an elevation of 31ft. Of particular importance are the displaced thresholds on each end of the runway due to terrain (including sand dunes) and obstacles – leaving just 3,799ft of landing distance available for Runway 3 and 3,950ft of landing distance available for Runway 21. Thus, that first glance at the chart indicating nearly 5,000ft of runway needs to be considered carefully as not all of it is available.
Turning bays at each end of the runway provide larger aircraft the ability to position for take-off or for course reversal after landing to taxi to the terminal on the south end of the airfield. The ramp areas consist of two parking areas, the larger of which serve as the parking area for the turboprop commuter aircraft that provide scheduled air carrier services. The air carrier ramp can accommodate two large air carrier-sized turboprops simultaneously. Interestingly, the MFS version of Donegal is based on their proprietary satellite imagery (Microsoft’s Bing Maps) but Google Earth actually shows that an air carrier parking ramp extension has been constructed in an expansion to the original ramp. Pilots need to exercise caution when leaving the ramp areas because there is no parallel taxiway; once you leave the ramp, you are on the runway. With regard to lighting, one high-intensity crossbar, high-intensity runway lights and 3.5° Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) systems to each end of the runway provide for approaches at night or in gloomy weather conditions.
Weather
The weather is definitely the factor that makes Donegal a frequently challenging airport. With a runway located less than 1,000ft from the North Atlantic, interactions between air and water provide interesting and sometimes pervasive weather phenomenon. Though northwest Ireland sits at a relatively high latitude (55°N), temperatures are moderated by the warm waters of the North Atlantic Current, which is a continuation of the Gulf Stream that brings warm water up from the Caribbean along the eastern seaboard of the United States and Canada. Prevailing winds blow from the southwest carrying warm, moist air that is driven upward by the high mountains on Ireland’s west coast, cooling and condensing the moisture into cloud and rain. Temperatures range from about 4°C in the winter to around 18°C along the coast at the height of summer. Occasional Atlanticborn depressions can pound the coast with ferocious storm winds. Freezing precipitation at Donegal is fairly rare, again thanks to the moderating effects of the warm water flow chugging northward just offshore. In broad terms, you can expect relatively stiff winds, low ceilings and periods of reduced visibility in fog and the often present hazy marine layer.
I had the opportunity to query a former air ambulance pilot, Andrew Sayers, about his experiences with Donegal. He said: “Every time I took the King Air there it was on the limits for crosswind and both visibility and cloud base were only just practical. I would say more poor weather but with regular bad. The air has a typical ‘mist’ on the horizon that can quickly reduce visibility to a few hundred metres when you least expect it.”
Approaches
Donegal is an old-school pilot’s dream, with only three non-precision approaches published and no SIDs or STARs to fuss over. There is a plan to add RNAV approaches on the near horizon (2021), and it could be that some air carrier operators have already developed and certified their own but I was unable to verify that. The rest of us must be content with an NDB approach to both Runway 03 and 21 and a localiser (LOC) approach to Runway 21. Lowest minimums are achieved on the approaches to Runway 21, with both the NDB and LOC approaches having a ceiling requirement of 370ft MSL (340ft AGL). An important procedural note is that DME is required for the NDB approaches (using the localiser DME) and the NDB and DME are required for the LOC approach. The reason for the DME requirement is that all of the approaches have multiple stepdown fixes inside of the final approach fix.
The real challenge is shooting the NDB approaches with a stiff crosswind to complicate interpretation of the ADF indications. Coupled with keeping track of your altitude while referencing the DME step-down fixes, the approach can quickly become busy, so minimising ground speed can buy time for decision-making. While not as immediately threatening as some of the mountains we’ve featured in other Challenging Airports articles, there is significant terrain just inland to the east including, the spectacular prominence of Errigal rising to 2,464ft. Care should be taken when arriving from points inland to respect the high terrain east of the airfield. During the exceedingly rare periods when the winds blow out of the east, turbulence tumbling down from the mountains can set up vicious windshear and turbulence. Both Runway 21 approach plates also caution against turbulence and windshear on the approach when winds are blowing from the 260° to 310° sector at speeds greater than 15 knots.
All of the approaches commence from the terminal NDB (located on the airfield) and require a teardrop procedure turn/course reversal based off on bearings from the NDB and distance taken from the localiser DME. The NDB also serves as the missed approach point for all of the approaches as well as the missed approach holding fix.
Considerations
Obviously the frequently poor weather conditions, attendant winds and ceilings should factor heavily into decisions to depart for Donegal. While light general aviation aircraft are quite comfortable with the landing distance available, larger turboprop commuters such as the ATR-42 and Saab 340, as well as some private light jets, should take care with regard to flight planning on short runways that are quite often contaminated with moisture. Stiff breezes and associated turbulence often require pilots to add a steady-state wind plus gust factor to their approach speeds to enable better controllability and comfortable margins over stall speeds. Flying at higher speeds provides better control authority but can also result in much longer landing distances. Higher reference speeds combined with a short, wet runway can be a formula for disaster. Keep in mind too that strong direct crosswinds have a weather vane effect that requires anticipation and corrective control inputs prior to things getting out of hand.
Duplicating this flight
Flights to Donegal can be flown in FSX, P3D, X-Plane or MFS with varying levels of realism. For P3D, MK-Studios has a gorgeous payware add-on that replicates Donegal to a high degree of realism (https://secure.simmarket.com/mkstudios.mhtml). X-Plane offers freeware addons at X-Plane.org that closely replicate the airfield layout. Generating ortho tiles with Ortho4XP can further refine the X-Plane experience. For superb realism with no add-ons necessary, all editions of the new Microsoft Flight Simulator include a detailed reproduction of Donegal and streamed satellite imagery for all of Ireland.
Aircraft suitable for operation to Donegal are any light and medium weight general aviation aircraft, small commuter turboprops and some limited corporate jet aircraft that can meet the runway requirements. Approach charts for Donegal can be accessed via the following link, in Section 2.24: http://iaip.iaa.ie/iaip/ IAIP_Frame_CD.htm.
Conclusion
Choosing Donegal as a featured airport in the new Microsoft Flight Simulator was a fantastic idea given the stunning scenery and challenging conditions that will introduce new flight sim pilots to the beauty of our hobby, while providing a complex challenge to experienced simmers that want to tackle Donegal under the worst conditions.
