Ever since I can recall, way back as a teenager staring at sectional charts, I dreamed of the day I could actually see those places in person. Telluride, Colorado, was always a mysterious, mythical place that I wasn’t sure I would actually visit in real life. That was until this month when I had a flying assignment to Telluride Regional Airport (KTEX). Weeks of mental planning, and some sim time in and out of this incredible place paid off.
The restrictions to this airport are many—and for obviously good reasons. No night ops, no tailwind arrivals over 10 knots, which is standard for most jets. You land on Runway 9 and depart Runway 27. The box canyon at the end of 9 makes the departure path pretty scary at best. And landing on 27 would be equally risky.
