Who flies the biggest metal into the shortest runway in UK?

[reverserunlocked]

Due to the interest in my 'Longest Runway' thread I thought I'd ask a related question about the shortest runway in the UK. . .. .Who flies the biggest aircraft into the smallest strips? I always thought Jersey would be a bit hairy in a 757 at max weight with bad weather.. .. .Any interesting tales about the runway end lights looming arse-clenchingly close?. .. .M&M's up for grabs this time.

[2500]

I have seen a photo of a dash 7 in Welshpool (British Midland colours, so quite a while ago). Then again, the dash 7 could land on the runway widthways!. .. .The honours must surely belong to a Harrier pilot though.

[Kalium Chloride]

...or the oil-rig helo pilots <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

[Slugg]

C130 onto the 2950 ft rwy 25 at Shoreham Sep '97 <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

[DVR6K]

Air Transat L1011 into Exeter. Seen photos but not ever seen anything recorded of it trying to get back out again.. .. .Took a C150 into Plymouth once, that was hairy let me tell you, hehe.

[U R NumberOne]

We had a Royal Brunei A340 into Aberdeen (1,829 metres) in 1994 and several TriStars over the years.. .. .Perth's Trident was flown in there many years ago - obviously very, very empty given the 853 metres available <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> . Needless to say it didn't fly out (not sure if it's still there?).

[Rusty Cessna]

DVR6K, . .. .Know what you mean about Plymouth, do it nearly very week! haha, but you get used to it.. .Rusty.. . . . <small>[ 18 March 2002, 17:52: Message edited by: Rusty Cessna ]</small>

[dv8]

Saudi Gov A340 in to EXT last month

[chiglet]

In the mid-late '60s an Avro Vulcan was "deployed to a 'grass strip' in the SouthEast area".. .I have seen photos of this "deployment", but I cannot remember just where <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="confused.gif" /> . .The Vulcan got in ok, but had to be min fuel to get out <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> . .Please tell me that I'm not [completely] mad. .we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy. . . . <small>[ 18 March 2002, 17:52: Message edited by: chiglet ]</small>

[Christopher James]

Didn't the USAF fly a B52 into Duxford about 15 years ago, about 4000'? I seem to remember they had to shut the M11.. .. .09L

[EGCC4284]

<a href="http://www.poolaviation.co.uk/frameset.html" target="_blank">http://www.poolaviation.co.uk/frameset.html</a>. .. .The is a picture of a C130 taking off out of Welshpool on there web site.. .. .Now that must of been some landing.

[cormacshaw]

C130 into Welshpool? Not bad!. .. .But try a carrier landing in one. Don't believe me? Download this quicktime movie.... .. .<a href="http://homepage.mac.com/cormacshaw/.cv/cormacshaw/Public/C130Landing.mov-binhex.hqx" target="_blank">http://homepage.mac.com/cormacshaw/.cv/cormacshaw/Public/C130Landing.mov-binhex.hqx</a> (1 Mb). .. .Unbelievable!

[Lucifer]

U R NumberOne: it never left after landing!

[Wycombe]

Here's a few buttock-clenching moments:. .. .1. L1011 into Jersey <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> (done by BA late 70's I think to clear a backlog of Pax after a foggy day). .. .2. L1011 into Southend a couple of years ago for storage - it did leave again (but needed to wait for sufficient headwind!). .. .3. Ex Dan-Air Comet into Blackbushe (just over 4000') - didn't leave again!. .. .4. Vulcan into Wellesbourne (about 3000') - still there of course. .. .Watched a few BY 75's pop into SOU during last Summer....looks a bit tight??

[Unwell_Raptor]

Then there was the LH 707 into Northolt, the driver having mistaken South Harrow gasholder for Southall. The gasholders still have a big N and LH on them respectively.

[Dan Winterland]

I used to fly Victors. Any runway seems short when you land at Victor speeds using brakes from a Ford Cortina and a brake chute that frequently didn't open when really needed!. .. .The biggest short landing jet has to be the C17. Brize has a 3000' strip painted on the main runway - they frequently practice on that.

[sparnell]

In the late 70's an ex RAF Comet was flown into Strathallan Airfield, Auchterarder, Perthshire for the museum collection there (which now no longer exists). The strip is grass and very short, and the Comet came a cropper when one undercarriage leg collapsed at the end of the landing roll. An RAF maint team righted the aircraft, assisted by museum volunteers, and was subsequently put on display. Don't know what happened to it when the collection was split up and sold off.. .Another Comet (ex Dan Air this time) and an ex RAF Vulcan were flown into East Fortune airfield East Lothian Scotland in the 80's. Both successful but very tight requiring closure of the road that cuts the end off the runway.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

UNWELL RAPTOR... Er it was a Pan American Boeing 707 en route from Frankfurt to London Airport which actually landed at Northolt on 25th October 1960. Heavy braking by Captain Warren Beall just kept the aircraft from over-running the runway, and getting it out again was pretty exciting too. A Lufthansa 707 had a go on 28th April 1964 but went around from a low level.. . . . <small>[ 19 March 2002, 16:49: Message edited by: HEATHROW DIRECTOR ]</small>

[Unwell_Raptor]

Yup, ATC has it right. I should have checked - it was a distant memory of this that stuck:. .. .<a href="http://www.landair.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/dmail.html" target="_blank">http://www.landair.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/dmail.html</a>. .. . <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />. . . . <small>[ 19 March 2002, 21:08: Message edited by: Unwell_Raptor ]</small>

[Airbanda]

Just about anything at LBA/EGNM?

[We are NOT radar equipped]

Going back MANY years when Plymouth had grass rwys, a Beverley got in and out in about 650 metres. Until very recently, Dash 8's would use the 758M rwy occasionally.

[GlueBall]

74 into CBG (Cambridge). Towed off and unto runway.

[Wycombe]

Traffic Magnet:. .. .I've also seen a piccy of a private 757 on the ramp at GCI!

[spancan]

Bae 146 into Islay quite a few years ago. Although they did use more stopping distance than RWY available. Poor old Prince Charles !!!

[Captain Airclues]

Glueball. .. .I've flown 747s into and out off cambridge many times and have never had to be towed onto or off the runway. We can usually make to turnoff into Marshalls (about 3300ft). The turning pad at the threshold of 05 is a bit tight, but no problem with 23. The EGSC-EGLL sector concentrates the mind for us longhaul chaps. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> . .. .Airclues

[M.Mouse]

Funny enough Jersy is not that bad in a 757. I took one in a few years ago about 1 tonne under MLW for the conditions. We stopped easily with lots of room to spare. The 757 stops well for its size due double the number of braked wheels compared to the 737, A319. A320, etc. Worst bit with JSY is the runway is like a switchback and one has to be quite positive in landing in the right place to avoid floating and landing deep.. .. .BA were occasionally taking 747-400s into Cambridge and I believe the B52 into Duxford was worth watching, although it didn't have to take off again.. .. .I do remember seeing a B747 land at LTN in the mid 80s too. When it took of again it sandblasted and broke a few runway edge lights. Tairfield was closed for a short while to clear up the mess.

[Doors to Automatic]

I saw a Corsair 747 on finals to LTN three years ago. Didn't see the landing itself but assume there wasn't much estate left to play with!. .. .LBA is also a challenging one! I believe 14 has an LDA of around 5900ft. in 1985 a British Airtours Tristar used about 6500ft of it!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

[pax anglia]

Chiglet....Are you by any chance thinking of the Vulcans that landed on the grass at RAF Halton in the 1960's.Three of them were flown in over the space of a few years to be used for the training of "Trenchard's Brats" and were doomed to remain there.One of them landed during our school sports day,and provided rather more riveting entertainment than the 4 x 100m Relay!Halton was also home to a Comet.I have childhood snaps of most,if not all,of these aircraft somewhere.For info,Halton's runways currently provide 1130m and 826m.. . . . <small>[ 20 March 2002, 21:06: Message edited by: pax anglia ]</small>

[Firestorm]

Continental 767 into Stornoway last summer, having just left Glasgow for Boston. Not sure if it dumped fuel first. Pax had to be ff loaded by forklift truck and pallet I believe. Not so self loading that day!

[chiglet]

pax,. .I'm pretty sure that it was a "civvie" strip. I remember reading it in an "Air Clues" type publication at RAF Patrington. [I left there, and the RAF in 1968] <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" /> . .we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

[newswatcher]

Lasham is my nearest airfield, and I believe it takes types up to 757-200 for maintenance, although I appreciate they are lightly loaded. The runway length is given as 5896feet(1797metres). Unfortunately I have never been there during a landing.

[Gonzo]

A few months ago we had a BA 744 coming back to Heathrow on ferry from Cardiff, he landed 27R and vacated at block 16, which gives no more than 1100m.. .. .Gonzo.

[Wycombe]

Yep, Lasham has been a bit of a 757 storage centre. .during the Winter.. .. .Couple of ex-BA examples stored I think awaiting frieghter conv for DHL, and 4 Condor examples which will soon be returned to duty (if not already).. .. .SOU has less runway than Lasham and they leave there with full pax loads for the Balearics during the Summer season

[newswatcher]

An international candidate must surely be the Saudia 747 at Tambaram, India in '97. It landed on a runway with length allegedly about 4,800 feet. Suitably stripped out, it later took off after just 4,000 feet of runway use!. .. .Also, what was the actual useable runway length available to the 767 "Gimli Glider" in the 1983 incident?. . . . <small>[ 21 March 2002, 16:11: Message edited by: newswatcher ]</small>

[STORMER]

Anybody else seen the Black and White footage of a C130 taking off and landing in a field the size of a football pitch. It used rockets bolted to the wings for extra acceleration and braking. I belive the idea was hostage rescue many years ago. . .The take off worked fine but on landing the rockets deployed too early and the C130 just stopped around 30 feet from the ground and fell. Breaking both wings off in the process.. .Ive tried, but cannot find the video on the web.. . . . <small>[ 22 March 2002, 03:06: Message edited by: Stormer ]</small>

[mutt]

Newswatcher,. .. .Suitably stripped out, it later took off after just 4,000 feet of runway use!. .. .It didnt takeoff from the same runway, it took off from a longer one but as expected only used around half of the runway length. The reason for stripping the aircraft had more to do with the runway strength than the takeoff distance available.. .. .Mutt <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />

[newswatcher]

Thanks Mutt, the runway used for take-off was about 5,800 feet!. .. . <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="smile.gif" />

[ZK-NSJ]

not quite england but,. .here in christchurch we regulary get 763's landing. .on the east/west runway (1700m) . .and i know in wellington(1930m) qantas used to operate 747sp's, and a united 742 with full load. .landed there once.

[mcdhu]

1 Flew a 146 into Plymouth LDA 3400'- stopped fine!. .2 The RAF put a Vulcan into Halton in the early 70s LDAs 2756/3609' - of grass!. .3 Didn't PIA land a 707 at Northolt by mistake - LDA 5584'. I think the pilot's last job for the Company was to fly it out again!. .Cheers. .mcdhu