What It Actually Takes to Get an ICAO Code for Your Airstrip

There are 45,000 airfields in the ICAO database, but only one in nine has any real safety certification. The rest range from regional airports down to grass strips with a windsock and a prayer — and some haven't been inspected since the 1960s. This episode unpacks the gap between what's officially catalogued and what's actually safe to land on, from FAA "listed" strips in Nebraska to colonial-era survey data in Tanzania. If you've ever assumed a four-letter airport code means someone checked the runway, you're in for a surprise.