Longest Take-off Run
I just heard on the radio, from a well respected academic (Dr Karl, for the Aussies) that the longest take-off run for an aircraft was by a C-130 Hercules in the Arctic. He says he read it in Air and Space magazine, where asome researchers were being picked up from their station. After loading the aircraft with everything, they attemped to take off but couldn't get off the ground. They lowered the rear door and began offloading equipment, clothing, even computers (minus the hard-drives witht he vital data) before the thing finally got off the ground. Apparently it took 50km. Now I am sure there are more remarkable and unbelievable things out there, but I wonder and ask you who know the Herc better, how long would they have taken to cover this distance at take-off speed? And does anyone have more info, as the details were quite simple due to the broad audience.