Best and Worst
 

Name some airports with the best and worst lit runways at night.

Runway lighting is standardized, so if a 121 operator can go there, it should be adequate. You (or the tower) can adjust the intensity of the runway/ALS lights as needed.

Taxiway lighting is more likely to be an issue (taxiway lights can be weak or NOTAMed OOS but the taxiway can still be used I think). The complexity of the airport layout is what really creates confusion (ORD, DFW, LAX)

Vashon municipal! Worst.

Not at Bakersfield, BFL. We fly 121 ops there. Almost landed wrong runway TWICE!

VFR runway is MUCH brighter than long runway. With the 3-5sm vis at night, it can be 'sporting'. Called tower to complain, they say the county controls the lights and have the short runway set to a fixed (bright) intensity. The tower wanted more complaints like mine to take to the county for ammo.

Yea, airport politics.

age of gps
 

An airport can notam its out of service beacon in a heartbeat, and runway lights are yet another issue if you can't find the airport. I am amazed the way some airports can be so nonchalant about their beacons. One of them decided to block off 20 degrees with a metal plate along a vfr corridor saying it annoyed the tower, and one let the beacon break down for over a year supposedly waiting on parts. My conclusion is, beacons are not used seriously enough anymore to count on them. One had better have gps!

You have to respect those who flew in the days before gps or loran. I think pilots were more aware of what was going on in those days and had a sixth sense for how to find things. I wasn't around but I would hope the present lackadaisical attitude towards beacons goes with the age of gps.

I have GPS, but use the beacon to call the field. It does help with awareness in the terminal environment. Anyways, I think most of the large "Bravo" airports in VMC nights have bad lighting because of the ambient light polution of the surrounding area, and the low-light settings for the landing runways. It's economical as it can be to keep'm low as possible if you don't need them. If you want them brighter, shouldn't be afraid to ask either.

Now as far as hardest airport to find at night, I'd vote MDW. When I fly in there, I'm coming from the east-southeast, so that angle it's rather difficult to find it. I have no problem now, but the first few weeks it took awhile to really get a good bearing on it's exact location in the sea of lights.

The only way to find an airport in a metropolitan area is to aim the nose at the darkest area you can see LoL

For those of us without GPS, beacons are a God-sent, at times, as well.:D

Calgary. No centerline or touchdown lights. Taxiways are poorly lit as well.

EWR at night....Multiple taxiways that chang names as you go....hard to see lights at night, especially in the rain....Hate that place.

And it ain't any better during day VFR!

SAN is pretty good if you ask me. There's only one runway so it's not too hard.

Well the pavement in DCA is horrible

LGB. Pain in the ass to find if you're coming from Catalina on the arrival at night while dodging Cessnas. Not to mention the construction and multiple runways etc...

Hilton Head is actually impossible to see until lined up within 20 degs of final. The local chamber of commerce or somebody refuses to let the airport boundry be extended farther than like 3 inches from the runway edge. Which has 40 foot trees along it.

Works great at Midway.......

salisbury sucked well the beacon was out

way to bring back an old thread... I didn't go to SBY much but it was kinda hard to find on one of my ferry flights into there...

HVN sucked as well for awhile.

I'll second Newark. That place is rough at night especially if there's rain. Lots of snow? Fugedaboutit! I mean, taxiway lights! C'mon! A lousy taxiway light! It takes 4 guys from the Port Authority to change a men's room sign sign but we can't install some taxiway lights? Get out of here!

Ok. End rant.

Disclaimer: I'm an XJT guy and spend about 1/4 to 1/2 of each month going in and out of EWR and I still get tripped up sometimes.

While at PDT I only flew into EWR a few times, I heard horror stories from other crews. However when I was there it was in and out, once we were on the ground I got "Taxi to parking with me." from the tower.

Only thing I didn't like was that at the time the people handling our ground service had no clue how to load or fuel the dash and I had to show them and send the paper work back twice.

If you go to Duluth, MN - just look for the big white empty hangar - you'll never miss the airport :)

El Infiernito, Baja California. Lit with smudge pots (kinda like oil lamps) along the edges of the runway.

map el infiernito baja california - Google Maps
(Zoom WAY in, about three miles north of the maker is the "airport")

I look for the giant dark N thats planted in the middle of the city!

baltimores 32 is tricky to see coming in from anywhere from the directions of northwest to southeast !

buffalo also hard to see airport anytime at night any direction

burlington, norfolk, burke lakefront, flaggler florida, columbus, some other tricky ones