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Landing on Highways
- Ghost from above
- Posts: 341
- Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 9:17 pm
Landing on Highways
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
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
Puff the Magic Dragon the original suppressor
Re: Landing on Highways
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?
Do the Swedes still use motorways?
Re: Landing on Highways
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.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.
Re: Landing on Highways
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.
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.
493d/48th - Grim Reapers Supporter.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlie-two-four/ FuzzyFastjetFotos, incorporating "HazyHelos"
There's no "go-round" in a glider.
- TankBuster
- Posts: 1710
- Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:45 am
- Location: Colchester
Re: Landing on Highways
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
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!
- ChrisCwmbran
- Posts: 990
- Joined: Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:30 am
- Location: South Wales
Re: Landing on Highways
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!
Re: Landing on Highways
I'm surprised that the pilot didn't overtake and jump to the front of the queue
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.
493d/48th - Grim Reapers Supporter.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/charlie-two-four/ FuzzyFastjetFotos, incorporating "HazyHelos"
There's no "go-round" in a glider.
Re: Landing on Highways
https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/s ... ction=viewC24 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.
Re: Landing on Highways
The Jaguar landed on the then new part of the M55, which without look on a map goes to Blackpool ?
Re: Landing on Highways
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
-
- Posts: 2560
- Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2017 9:20 pm
Re: Landing on Highways
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
your
https://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/video ... t=avg&tt=b
Re: Landing on Highways
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.
Re: Landing on Highways
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.
Pictures are in the 'Bucks Herald' archive. about 1960 ish.
Re: Landing on Highways
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHwwAV12TIA Swiss Hunters landing on Autobahns
Re: Landing on Highways
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.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.
The aircraft could handle it, but the pilots not. They claimed it was far too uncomfortable ride.
Re: Landing on Highways
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
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
Re: Landing on Highways
In Central London there is a grass strip that can be used as a runway.....
Re: Landing on Highways
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
Filmman
- sschofield
- Posts: 1512
- Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2009 6:06 pm
- Location: Macclesfield, Cheshire
Re: Landing on Highways
It does indeed, and therefore runs within about 5 miles of Warton, where the Jaguars were built, which I suspect is not a coincidence?The Jaguar landed on the then new part of the M55, which without look on a map goes to Blackpool ?