Did you know that registration to Fighter Control is completely free and brings you lots of added features? Find out more....

Landing on Highways

A forum for discussing all things related to MILITARY AVIATION including Military Aviation news. No off-topic discussions here please.
User avatar
Ghost from above
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 9:17 pm

Landing on Highways

Post by Ghost from above » Sun Jan 14, 2018 9:48 am

Russian pilots to practice landing on highway
http://tass.com/defense/984790

This got me thinking about how many disguised highway runway there are. The only ones I have ever seen and driven on are in Finland at Kittila and Hosio. The Kittila one Its almost due west of the village of Kittila and south west of the international airport a former fighter base. Its approx 2500m long with turning areas at each end. Its really weird as you come around a bend and down a hill on a standard road and it just appears set out with warning road signs to indicate at each end the extra width is no longer available. The trees were managed last year and are kept at scrub level between the vehicle track to the side and the road.The road crosses the runway approx half way along There is a small apron that you could get a couple of jets parked on about half way down and at each end

Hope the map links work below.

Kittila
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/67% ... 24.5882625
West

Hosio
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/65% ... 25.7030961
Mac

Puff the Magic Dragon the original suppressor

User avatar
22A
Posts: 931
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 11:47 am
Location: Peterborough

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by 22A » Sun Jan 14, 2018 11:59 am

In the late 1980's, the Rumanians deployed some MiG 21s to a forest which had a long straight road running through it and operated in a similar method to deployed Harriers. I've seen photos of Israeli F16s deployed to an olive grove which was to the side of a straight highway.
Do the Swedes still use motorways?

User avatar
Rotörhead
Posts: 1854
Joined: Fri Apr 22, 2011 7:39 pm
Location: Cheltenham

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by Rotörhead » Sun Jan 14, 2018 12:33 pm

I believe the Swedish still practice this - I found an article from 2015 although it was an exercise in Finland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Y-nMTahziY

Quote from the Wikepedia article on the Swedish Air Force -
"During the 1950s the air force started to build road bases after an idea taken from Germany. Built under the BASE 60 distributed airfield scheme,[3] the bases were ordinary highways constructed in such a way that they could also serve as landing strips. In the early eighties road number 44 was rebuilt to contain four short runways (17 x 800 metres). Along the road a large number of turn-around-sites for rearming and refueling were built. These short runways are still used today for training, landing and taking off with Gripen and Hercules as preparation for international operations under adverse conditions."

Seems to suggest the old road bases are still kept ready to be used for training today, no idea how frequently they're used though.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/olicphoto/

Aviation Photography Instagram: @olicphoto

icyjohn
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Dec 25, 2017 4:10 pm
Location: 50 miles east of Lossiemouth.

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by icyjohn » Sun Jan 14, 2018 2:33 pm


User avatar
C24
Posts: 3188
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:52 am
Location: In the 51st State of the Union

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by C24 » Sun Jan 14, 2018 2:56 pm

In the 1980s several of the motorways in South Korea were marked out in bright yellow as runways.

Quite possibly it is still the case.

There used to be a video clip of a Jaguar landing and then taking off from a new piece of motorway in the Midlands.
C24.
493d/48th - Grim Reapers Supporter.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlie-two-four/ FuzzyFastjetFotos, incorporating "HazyHelos"
There's no "go-round" in a glider.

User avatar
TankBuster
Posts: 1710
Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:45 am
Location: Colchester

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by TankBuster » Sun Jan 14, 2018 3:03 pm

Some of the German Autobahns were double used as runways, I can remember 81st TFW A-10's practiced landings on these during the latter years of the Cold War.

There is an interesting article on the history of these Autobahns here... http://translate.google.com/translate?u ... =&ie=UTF-8

TankBuster
And there's plenty more where that came from!

User avatar
ChrisCwmbran
Posts: 990
Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:30 am
Location: South Wales

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by ChrisCwmbran » Sun Jan 14, 2018 3:04 pm

I can remember seeing a clip back in the late 1980s of a rood in a forest in Germany somewhere. There was a queue of slow moving vehicles and in the middle of them was a Harrier!

User avatar
C24
Posts: 3188
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:52 am
Location: In the 51st State of the Union

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by C24 » Sun Jan 14, 2018 3:57 pm

I'm surprised that the pilot didn't overtake and jump to the front of the queue :roll:
C24.
493d/48th - Grim Reapers Supporter.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlie-two-four/ FuzzyFastjetFotos, incorporating "HazyHelos"
There's no "go-round" in a glider.

User avatar
22A
Posts: 931
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 11:47 am
Location: Peterborough

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by 22A » Mon Jan 15, 2018 6:41 pm

C24 wrote:In the 1980s several of the motorways in South Korea were marked out in bright yellow as runways.

Quite possibly it is still the case.

There used to be a video clip of a Jaguar landing and then taking off from a new piece of motorway in the Midlands.
https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s ... ction=view

Vulcanone
Posts: 3531
Joined: Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:56 am

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by Vulcanone » Mon Jan 15, 2018 9:17 pm

The Jaguar landed on the then new part of the M55, which without look on a map goes to Blackpool ?

User avatar
Viper28
Posts: 566
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:02 pm

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by Viper28 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 9:53 pm

A couple of years back the Singapore airforce practiced landing F15SG's, F16's and if I remember correctly EC3's on the local highways

Evergreen 44
Posts: 2524
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 9:20 pm

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by Evergreen 44 » Mon Jan 15, 2018 11:09 pm

Not sure if this link works but found it from the link above re. Jaguar landing on motorway, runs for about 7mins. Some good footage showing aerodynamic instability for Jaguar after induced stall. Enjoy
your
https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/video ... t=avg&tt=b

Sparts99
Posts: 2761
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:02 pm
Location: Kent

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by Sparts99 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:08 am

I read an interview years ago with a Polish Su-22 pilot. He said that Eastern Bloc used to regularly practice off field operations, look at the undercarriage of the Su-22, it was designed for it. So was the Jaguar (see the clip above) but the RAF rarely if ever practiced rough field operations except for the helicopter and Harrier force. The Polish pilot said in the event of increased tension or conflict they were well rehearsed in dispersed site operations.
In this world there's two kinds of people, my friend. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig. You dig.

jem60
Posts: 3620
Joined: Tue Jul 27, 2010 6:54 pm
Location: Chedburgh, Suffolk

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by jem60 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 10:15 am

Out of interest, and slightly off-thread, at least two Vulcans, possibly three, and two Comets were landed on the grass at R.A.F. Halton for a permanent stay.
Pictures are in the 'Bucks Herald' archive. about 1960 ish.

johnhowe

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by johnhowe » Tue Jan 16, 2018 11:27 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHwwAV12TIA Swiss Hunters landing on Autobahns

User avatar
22A
Posts: 931
Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 11:47 am
Location: Peterborough

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by 22A » Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:16 pm

Sparts99 wrote: look at the undercarriage of the Su-22, it was designed for it. So was the Jaguar (see the clip above) but the RAF rarely if ever practiced rough field operations except for the helicopter and Harrier force.
I arrived at Coltishall in 1977 and was told some Jags had deployed to Marham the previous year to practice taking off and landing on grass.
The aircraft could handle it, but the pilots not. They claimed it was far too uncomfortable ride.

User avatar
Knife 04
Posts: 3405
Joined: Thu Dec 10, 2009 10:05 pm
Location: 'Up the smoke doin' a deal'

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by Knife 04 » Tue Jan 16, 2018 5:25 pm

I knew had seen a couple of picture on Flickr including this one by Frank Kloppenburg (all credit to the photographer) of an A-10 on a road strip in 1984

https://www.flickr.com/photos/fraklo/32 ... 883579852/

A little surfing and came up with this article re Autobahn A29 near the 81st TFW Det 3 at Ahlhorn West Germany - interesting read - Exercise 'Highway 84'

http://www.forgottenairfields.com/germa ... -s356.html

Same website - Highway in Estonia used by deployed A-10s in 2016 and 2017

http://www.forgottenairfields.com/eston ... -s269.html

Hope you find of interest

Darren

colevans
Posts: 140
Joined: Fri Feb 25, 2011 12:11 am
Location: Portchester ( nr Portsmouth )

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by colevans » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:09 am

In Central London there is a grass strip that can be used as a runway.....

filmman
Posts: 300
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 7:59 pm

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by filmman » Wed Jan 17, 2018 2:50 pm

During the Cold War era there are rumours of landing strips in London's Royal Parks and the use of the Serpentine by flying boats to get VIPs out of London. Outside London there were plans that parts of some new roads would be built straight and wide enough for airfield use. However there were numerous disused military airfields already available for use on an ad hoc basis, the best type of security.
Filmman

User avatar
sschofield
Posts: 1507
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:06 pm
Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire

Re: Landing on Highways

Post by sschofield » Wed Jan 17, 2018 3:05 pm

The Jaguar landed on the then new part of the M55, which without look on a map goes to Blackpool ?
It does indeed, and therefore runs within about 5 miles of Warton, where the Jaguars were built, which I suspect is not a coincidence?

Post Reply

Return to “The Fighter Control Mess”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot], RobW, Tiffie Boy, Timmo and 96 guests