Mustique Airport
Mustique Airport | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Mustique Company | ||||||||||
Operator | Mustique Company | ||||||||||
Location | Mustique, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||||||||||
Hub for | Mustique Airways | ||||||||||
Focus city for | |||||||||||
Time zone | AST (UTC−04:00) | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 8 ft / 2 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 12°53′17″N 061°10′49″W / 12.88806°N 61.18028°W | ||||||||||
Website | http://mustique.com/ | ||||||||||
Map | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Mustique Airport (IATA: MQS, ICAO: TVSM) is a private airfield owned by the Mustique Company, and is located on Mustique island, part of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean Sea.
The airport has a short takeoff and landing (STOL) runway with a displaced threshold, thus limiting the aircraft types allowed to land. Single-engine light aircraft such as the Cessna 152, Cessna 172, and twin-engine light aircraft such as the Beechcraft King Air, the larger Beechcraft Super King Air or the well-known de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter can easily land there.
SVG Air, is a national airline of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, along with Mustique Airways.
Currently the airport can only accept propeller aircraft (maximum of 18 seats). Private jets fly into nearby Canouan, the jetport of the Grenadines, where a private charter onwards to Mustique can be arranged.
For pilots not familiar with STOL, displaced thresholds, steep gradients at each end and a hill at one end of the runway, Mustique Airport can be a difficult airport to operate from.
Pilots unfamiliar with the airport will require a flight check before being allowed to use the aerodrome. Flight checks are provided by an approved training captain from one of the following local companies: Mustique Airways or SVG Air.
Mustique is proclaimed as “The world’s finest private-island retreat”.
The Mustique Company owns airline, Air Adelphi, whose Twin Otter Aircraft are available for customers to charter for a private and exclusive transfer experience to Mustique, Subject to aircraft availability. The company can provide flexible scheduling to suit your needs with scheduled flights from Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and flights on demand or private charter.
Expansion
It was proposed to realign the existing runway[3] at the northern end of Mustique Island to minimize the effects of elevated terrain features near the flight path. The excavation of soil and rock from high ground in the central quarry area and engineered fill placement at the low lying east and west ends of the runway are required to provide an appropriate runway gradient. The existing topography along the centerline of the proposed runway changes from approximate Elev. 1m ASL adjacent to the sanctuary to Elev. 24m ASL in the quarry area. The topography descends to Elev. 2m ASL adjacent to the Rutland Bay seasonal pond in the northeast.
The geotechnical reporting includes the subsurface investigation findings and recommendations for (a) sub excavation and/or soil improvement of the weak swampy materials comprising wet, soft clayey silt and organics in the west; (b) excavation of overburden soils and soft rock (volcanic tuff) and blasting and excavation of hard rock (grey andesite) in the middle high ground and quarry; and (c) additional subgrade preparation and engineered fill placement in the east section near the seasonal pond at Rutland Bay. Based on the aircraft loading conditions a design for the new asphalt pavement thicknesses, asphalt overlays for the existing apron and runway, and subsurface drainage requirements were provided.
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevation of 8 ft (2.4 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 09/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 992 m × 23 m (3,255 ft × 75 ft).
The airport has no radio-navigational aids.
Landings on Runway 09 are strictly visual.
No operations during twilight period.
Threshold of Runway 09 displaced 940 ft (287 m).
Fire and rescue
Mustique Airport falls under category three (3)[4] of the Aerodrome Category (ICAO Index).
Rapid Attack Vehicle with 60 gals. Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS); Terminator Compressed Air Foam and Dry Chemical System. Structural Fire Engine with 300 gals water and Compressed Air Foam System.
Airlines and destinations
Airlines | Destinations |
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Air Adelphi [5][6] | Seasonal Charter: Barbados, Saint Lucia– Hewanorra |
Grenadine Airways | Barbados, Saint Lucia– Hewanorra [7], St. Vincent-Argyle |
Mustique Airways[8] | Barbados, Bequia, Canouan, St. Vincent-Argyle, Union Island Charter: Grenada, Martinique, Saint Lucia–Charles, Saint Lucia– Hewanorra |
SVG Air[9] | Barbados, Bequia, St. Vincent-Argyle |
References
- ^ Template:WAD
- ^ Airport information for TVSM at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
- ^ Runway 09/27 realignment Mustique Airport Sarafinchin Associates Ltd.
- ^ Mustique Airport Aerodrome Geographical and Administrative Data
- ^ Air Adelphi to resume twin otter operationsCH-Aviation News 04 September 2017
- ^ Air Adelphi: Private charter and flights on demandThe Mustique Company.
- ^ Mustique-St. Lucia service to begin
- ^ Mustique Airways – Scheduled flights 2017 - 2018
- ^ SVG Air – Scheduled flights retrieved 11 March 2018
External links
External videos | |
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STOL Ultralight taking off and landing |
- The dictionary definition of STOL at Wiktionary
- Anatomy of a STOL Aircraft: Designing a Modern Short Take-Off and Landing Aircraft by Chris Heintz