Roads as runways.

[Tiger G]

Hi,

On my travels around Europe I've come across a few roads that are obviously more than roads. Dead straight, wider, no central reservation, strange markings, side roads leading into hillsides, etc. There's a few in Switzerland, and the last one I saw was in Sweden last year.

Any idea where this one might be ?? Looks like an SU 25 to me, and the commentary in the car could be Russian ?? :

LiveLeak.com - I saw your tank, and raise you a fighter jet...

( Looks like their Health & Safety people are on a different planet to ours !! ?


Did we have anywhere in the UK where we used to use roads as runways ?? I remember hearing that the A1 near Leeeming was used ??

Cheers,
T-G.

[Danny42C]

T-G

Don't know about Leeming - I was there '67 t0 '72, never heard of the A1 being so used.

"Red Road" (a park road in Calcutta) was used as a runway in WW2.

D.

[stevfire2]

wasnt a section of the A1 near Woolfox Lodge (disused) trialed by Cottesmore for Harriers?

[Tashengurt]

I've definitely seen footage of Jag's using a road. I think!


Posted from Pprune.org App for Android

[diginagain]

ISTR reading (probably in Air Clues) that the A46 alongside Swinderby had a few approaches in the past.

[SirToppamHat]

Preston Bypass (M55):

http://motorwayarchive.ihtservices.co.uk/filemanager/root/site_assets/images/m55/preston_northern_by-pass2.jpg

That said, I'm not sure it was ever seriously considered by the military.

I also believe the A-1 by Woolfox Lodge was suspiciously straight and level on one side, and with RAF Woolfox Lodge just off to one side I guess we could have used it in the early days of Harrier but can't say whether it was ever actually trialled - someone on here will know I am sure.

STH

[muppetofthenorth]

Jags used the M55 (prior to it's opening) as 'proof' that they could operate in austere conditions, I'm sure someone will have a photo shortly.

And part of the M62 is built on top of what was RAF/USAAF Burtonwood, the hangars that featured along the dispersal track only disappeared in the last 5 or so years.


EDIT; see, told you...

[Fareastdriver]

I believe a Hercules landed on the M8 whilst it was being built during an IS exercise.

[TomJoad]

Given the number of pot holes you would need to be pretty desperate to land on any road in the UK these days.

[ex-fast-jets]

Harriers used various roads - mostly within army training areas - in Germany regularly. On one occasion, we used an Autobahn for a deployed exercise - the German police closed the Autobahn from 0800 to 1600 ISTR for our use, then opened it again for normal traffic. The campsite was on a rastplatz which had not, at that stage, been built.

In the late 70's, on Jaguars, we used an Autobahn near Ramstein for training, along with other conventional jets.

The A1 near Leeming??? Perhaps used by Lossie Jags. By then, they could have reached take-off speed, particularly as it is all downhill!!

[SRENNAPS]

I've definitely seen footage of Jag's using a road. I think!

Many stretches of the autobahns in “West” Germany were designated for runways if needed. They were designed so that the central reservations could easily be removed. The Jag video (and you did see it), was taken on a German Autobahn near Laarbruch I believe, but I could be wrong. RAF Bruggen did not have any Autobahns close by in those days. Now they have one from MG to Roermond that would be parallel to Bruggen’s runway, perfect for those Ops

[NutLoose]

I seem to remember being told the Jag on the Motorway stunt, it was the only stretch straight and long enough without bridges to allow it to do it, the bombs were fibreglass dummies too to make it look good, but to keep the weight down.. I can see why they did it with a Jag, as it wouldn't trigger any speed camera :}

Now if you want to talk runways used as motorways USAF Burtonwoods main runway was used as part of the M62

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/RAF_Burtonwood_Old_Runway_before_M62_J8.JPG

RAF USAF Burtonwood:: OS grid SJ5691 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland - photograph every grid square! (http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/507916)


.

[Rigga]

Buccs and Jags from Laarbruch certainly did use use the local Autobahn (A57) when it was first built (to NATO standards) and there were Photos of Buccs parked in the Lay-Bys.

In fact the NATO standard for Autobahns installed "Lay-Bys" at the ends of a variety of long and straight lengths of the roads.

Next time you use one look at the lay-out and sizes of the parking areas...without the trees of course.


View this in Google Maps:
"Sonsbeck Hwy Strip, Alpen, Germany"

and look at the Lay-bys - East & West

[iRaven]

Deleted the Gib picture - too big!

Here is a Tornado on a German Autobahn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57cVy7r8GRo

[SRENNAPS]

Nutloose,

I was told they had removable bridges as well:E:E

But if you think that we were able to use the Esso Garage in Elmpt as a mini engine bay, then anything was possible in those days.

As for runways being used as roads there is a fab one in Cyprus somewhere between Larnaca and Nicosia/Troodos. We were on a coach trip and the tour guide asked if anybody could work why the road was so straight and why there were piano key markings. I was that smart arse that guessed "runway" and got it right:O

[SirToppamHat]

And I believe that parts of the Newbury bypass were built on hardcore from the broken-up runway of Greenham Common - certainly large parts of that runway are missing (Google Earth) otherwise it would have been a nice long runway for use in the South of England.

STH

[layman]

Not military but there are multiple instances across 'outback' Australia where there are specifically marked / widened stretches of road for aircraft - presumably mainly for use by the RFDS
cheers
layman

[Hydromet]

Also in Australia, when the Hume Highway south of Sydney was being re-aligned, a light aircraft made a successful forced landing on a section that hadn't yet been opened.

[onetrack]

It must be very nice to have a handy section of roadway to use as an emergency runway - but if you ever have to land on a road, the problem of overhead wires and road signs that aren't far enough apart to allow wing clearance, are some pretty serious hazards to face!

Many years ago, a business associate departed from YPKG for YCLG in his PA-28, and had fuel tank transfer issues that resulted in engine stoppage. He was unable to restart the engine and did a dead-stick landing on the Coolgardie-Kalgoorlie road (Gt Eastern Hwy).
The roadway was adequate width, and there being no overhead wires in the vicinity, he made a successful landing. However, a roadside advisory sign he couldn't avoid in the landing roll, took a wing off!

[Mk 1]

Singapore. When your country is little bigger than a postage stamp your alternates are roads. Was there for the inaugural Singapore GP - the workmen were either removing or re-installing the centre strip removable barriers and large concrete flower beds.

[uffington sb]

Tengah in Singapore has a nice highway strip just to the west. Taxiways lead straight out from the HAS sites, and looking on street view, it must be used as there a few tyre maks at the touch down point.

[Exnomad]

I remember articles in "Flight" about this being very seriously taken in Sweden, where large chunks of major road were kept clear of obstruction for this purpose

[izod tester]

A section of the M5 just South of Gloucester uses the runway of Moreton Vallence as foundation. I frequently recall seeing Gloster Javelins using that runway whenever I am travelling between Bristol and Gloucester.

[Stuff]

Cyprus has a motorway runway on the A5 between Limassol and Larnaca. The threshold markings are clearly visible.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=34.841728,33.427544&hl=en&ll=34.841578,33.42722&spn=0.001506,0.00327&sll=34.841717,33.427521&sspn=0.001506,0.00327&t=k&z=19 (https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=34.841728,33.427544&hl=en&ll=34.841578,33.42722&spn=0.001506,0.00327&sll=34.841717,33.427521&sspn=0.001506,0.00327&t=k&z=19)

The police have a nasty habit of hiding in the bushes and catching people speeding on this long, straight stretch of road :(

[threeputt]

Whilst you are correct about "nearby" autobahns we did have plans in place to utilise, if required, many of the strips that had been previously surveyed; their details were contained in some very "restricted" NATO planning documents. I know, 'cause I was the planner.

3P:ok:

[Tlam999]

Footage of a Singaporean Exercise here:

RSAF Exercise Torrent 2008 - HD - YouTube (http://youtu.be/QnkNaF45BK0)

RSAF Exercise Torrent 2008 - HD

[Dan Winterland]

Taiwan.

Planes land on motorway in Taiwan military drill - Mirage 2000 - YouTube (http://youtu.be/w1Fh4wYdwho)

[LeggyMountbatten]

In the late 70's, on Jaguars, we used an Autobahn near Ramstein for training, along with other conventional jets. (http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew/512443-roads-runways.html#post7790556)

In an interesting twist, Ramstein's main is built on a pre-war autobahn, (previously used by the Luftwaffe it says here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramstein_Air_Base))

Hence the massive entrance strip to the west gate and the kink in today's autobahn.

[Cows getting bigger]

The West entrance to Ramstein was certainly still available for contingency operations in the late 80s.

[finncapt]

There are several stretches of road which are for use as a runway in Finland.

A few (maybe 4 or 5) years ago they were often used and notices would appear in the papers advising of the road closures.

I haven't heard of them being used recently but that may be down to me not reading the newspaper or perhaps the practice has gone out of fashion.

Two, which immediately come to mind, are on the no. 5 road a few kilometres north of Heinola and on the no. 4 road between Rovaniemi and Sodankylä.

There is another on the no.4 road between Lahti and Jväskylä but I can't remember where exactly.

I have driven over others but again I can't remember where.

[60024]

There was a section of autobahn near Alhorn on the North German Plain that was used by several NATO types for landings, turnrounds & take-offs for a week in 1983/4 just before the Autobahn opened. Some of the senior blokes on my Sqn went and had a go.

[uffington sb]

Tlam999.

What did they do with the street lights. On street vue, there is very tall street lighting on both sides of the highway strip, but i can't see any hinges or other means of lowering them. Do the retract into the ground?

[gayford]

I think there are at least 2 motorway runways in Cyprus, and there may be more.

[Heathrow Harry]

there are a couple of stretches of the Kirkenes - Murmansk road that are dead straight straight eg 69 deg 18min 40sec N & 32 deg 12 min 13 sec E and 69 - 26-13N 31-01-59E - clearly diversion strips for Pechenga etc

One of them was bloody wide - but there was a large concrete Bus Shelter half way down right in the middle - one hopes they intended to remove it before starting operations.................................

[Pontius Navigator]

The RAF seems to have a thing about not using normal runways. You would have thought with the Harrier and RAFG that they would have got over that phobia.

Back in the mid-80s I think Jules Flood, SlOps at Honington, proposed that the many disused airfields around east Anglia and east midlands be considered as bare base emergency runways. In the 60s there were a number of such emergency airfields such as Spilsby and East Kirkby but Jules's idea was to be a near zero cost option.

A party was sent from Coningsby to Swinderby and rejected the airfield out of hand saying the runway would need resurfacing, missile storage areas would need to be built, and a crew room etc etc. The BoB mentality was well and truly ignored.

If your main base is covered with persistent nerve agent and the runway has a socking great hole in the middle, a bit of rough tarmac and a landrover with a few sidewinders and a bowser would have been luxury.

Have you looked at Russian air force aircraft tractors from the cold war? Rugged ATV with capacity to carry spares and troops and tow a Flogger.

[smujsmith]

I was a GE on a Herk flight from Akrotiri to Leeming (bringing some Tornado Ground Equipment and ground crew back home), the approach into Leeming was through quite dense cloud and the Captain let the Co do the approach. ISTR that their ILS was somewhat lacking that day, but, hey ho, the Co was nearly as old as me, must know what he's doing. So, as it seems to me standing behind the Captain for the approach, we get to about 300 feet, just coming out of the cloud into mist. Captain with head up says "runway lights 2 o clock", Co immediately gives Albert a good handful,of right hand down, lines up, and proceeds with his approach. I think at around 100 agl, he realised the runway lights were moving, they were white lights on the right, red on the left. The confirmation of the Range Rover was enough to open the taps and try another approach. As I remember, we did two more then diverted to Coningsby. Very close to,meeting the requirement of using a road as a runway.:rolleyes: does that count ?

[MMHendrie1]

There is a rather nice story from the 50s or 60s of a Beverley coming into land at night and in poor weather at RAF Dishforth, the main runway of which parallels the A1. Just before breaking cloud, Dishforth suffered a total power failure and was left without radio or lights.
As the aircraft broke cloud, the captain noted he was slightly to the right of Runway 34. A slight jink was all that was required and a perfect landing followed....on the A1 northbound.

There was little the captain could then do except brake to a halt stopping just before the roundabout which then existed. Soon afterwards a civilian police car arrived at the front of the aircraft. The captain opened a cockpit window to talk to the concerned police constable who, when he found out the that aircraft had just landed, asked:

"So what are you going to do now?"

"The after-landing checks," said the Beverley captain.

[Trim Stab]

We got dropped into a LRRP exercise into Germany in the mid 90s in which we spent the first week in a MEXE hide overlooking a long straight stretch of autobahn - can't remember where now. The pre-exercise FER training consisted of lots of looking at lots of pics of SOVBLOC aircraft, particularly Floggers, which made a change from the usual tanks and APCs that we were trained to spot.

[Linedog]

Jaguar on motorway.................

kAVDOBWtBuU

[Ali Barber]

Not quite, but I did once do a low level circuit at night in yellow, trying to get into Pisa en route back from Cyprus, as all I'd found at the end of my home made Tac to Tac approach was an empty road so finished up landing on it. Turned out it was the runway after a lightning (meteorological version) strike induced power failure and the omnis looked suspiciously like street lights. I was in the EE/BAe version at the time.

[Buster11]

There’s a 4km road that was certainly used as a runway from time to time in the 1980s, running south-east from Leszno in Poland to the village of Rydzyna. If you’re ever in the area, maybe visiting the Polish gliding centre at Leszno, do include a stay at the magnificent and atmospheric 17th century castle at Rydzyna. It was being used mainly as a trade union centre, albeit a pretty elegant one, when I was there then, but is now open as a hotel and conference centre.

[Bill Macgillivray]

Several stretches of road in certain ME countries were (and are) used by various aircraft when authorised.:cool:

[thing]

I think there was a case not that long ago of a 747 pilot lining up on an approach road to a major airport. Apparently missed a tall building by not very much.

Pontius talking about Swinderby brings back a dim memory of a Lightning landing there after a fairly close call with the towers of Lincoln Cathedral. Anyone shed any light on that or is my memory failing?

[chevvron]

When I visited Cyprus in 1990, a Cypriot friend and I travelled from Limassol to Nicosia by car, and he kept asking 'could you land an F16 on this bit?' I soon found out why, as there were two stretches of the Nicosia highway laid out with threshold markings, removable crash barriers and parking areas. It was on a later visit I noticed the new section from Larnaca to Limassol also had these attributes, plus the huge roadside signs had massive hinges on them.
Back home, anyone ever wonder why RAF High Wycombe main gate always used to have a couple of 'stubs' with no entry signs at both ends? This was because the bit of road adjacent is nice and straight and was used (so I'm told) during WW2 for things like Austers to land and take off, and these bits of road by the main gate were reserved for parking the aircraft!

[RS15]

Not quite t/o or landing but if you look on google earth approx 1km WNW. Of the W threshold of Split airport, there are two holes in the hillside which have contained aircraft. ISTR seeing Mig21?? ,few pics also on Internet

[ORAC]

:p:p

7_ITIlPvcm0

[Pom Pax]

In the late seventies I came across 2 or 3 roads in Southern Thailand with their magnetic headings painted on them (one was near Trang iirc). The road width was such that it obvious they were only intended for light aircraft. In the Vietnam war era the area was consider to be a stronghold of alleged communist terrorists.

[orca]

Whilst working with the SU-22 in Poland my drive to work included two straight stretches of road with pans at either end. (About a mile end to end). The Fitter drivers said that it was rare that they were used but they did land there occasionally just for currency.

[SammySu]

You could taxy to/from those strips straight off the airfield through a barrier on a taxiway if I'm correct in assuming you're talking about Miroslawiec. It was also nice that those bits of road were the only ones that didn't involve driving half on Tarmac and half on dirt verge....

[BEagle]

In the early 1970s during my ULAS days at White Waltham, the M3 motorway was still under construction. So there was this nice white strip across the countryside; one day I asked my QFI whether it would be a good place to force land...

So, dodging a few cranes and much to the consternation of the road builders, we took a look...

:E

[Heathrow Harry]

once went on holiday to a rather nice spot just north of Yellowstone - when you drove onto the property there was mile of tarmac, dead straight, not wide and a big sign - WATCH FOR LANDING AIRCRAFT

during the week we were there about 4 small planes used the "strip"

and someone told me the main road around Nauru in the S Pacific forms part of the only airfield

[beardy]

I believe that stretches of the trans American highway in South America are designated and have been used as landing areas.

[chippy63]

I recall that the road from Brno to Olomuc in the Czech Republic had a strip of about 8,000 ft, complete with threshold markings and dispersal pans adjacent. The overhead telephone cables had been set well back from the road.

[Bunker Mentality]

On Cayo Coco the road that runs west from Jardines del Rey Airport to service the island's resorts covers the length of an old runway. The old airfield buildings and taxiways were still in place 5 yrs ago, as were the centreline markings.

[Bigpants]

A few years back noticed the highway running NW from Havana had dispersal bays for aircraft on a long straight section.

In the UK M62 built on part of Burtonwoods runway.

As a GA pilot would far prefer a field to attempting a force landing on a road.

[Pontius Navigator]

Thinking about the Cyprus road runways, good redundancy but who could make best use of them?

Problem with unattended landing surfaces is they are available for illicit use. I noted once during an exercise airfield attack in Crete that a perfectly sound, but deactivated airfield had oil drums across it to deter smugglers etc.

How would the Cypriots deny their use to smugglers etc?

[Al R]

During HF visits to Norway, we used to make discrete trips to local shops/warehouses to make sure they could still be adapted to fly and fight from and that the roads could still support flying ops.

[Heathrow Harry]

"unattended landing surfaces is they are available for illicit use."

I understand there are/were strips in the Bahamas you are advised to avoid after dark........... as someone else may be using them:suspect::suspect:

[Davef68]

Someone mentioned the M8 earlier - never heard the story of a C-130 landing on it, but the stretch to the west of Paisley follows the line of the old runway at Renfrew airport. The two tower blocks at the Western end built since the airport closed would make an interesting obstacle!

[Tiger G]

Getting back to my original post and video, I can't think of anywhere in Europe where they would practice overshoots with the traffic still flowing !!

[Heathrow Harry]

Driving past Mona near RAF Valley on the main road I can remember some fairly hairy moments with Hawks doing touch-and-goes...........

[Hempy]

http://www.australiantraveller.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/100-Things-You-Have-Never-Heard-Of-21-Flying-Pub-Crawl-1-of-1.jpg

[Spugford]

Love the German Tonka vid!! Nice to see someone actually flying the thing like it should be!

[reynoldsno1]

Both Jordan & Oman have designated "highway runways". CJOG 1501C Sheet NH 37-1 Ed 1 has the Al Ghadaf, Al Qatranah & Azraq Highway Strips marked....:8

[India Four Two]

Coming out of Changi on the East Coast Parkway, there is an emergency runway, with removable flower planters in the centre of the road. I don't know if it has ever been used. It looks like the palm trees and lights would have to go to make it usable.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/4022881662_25b9c1947a_o.jpg

[SMT Member]

Don't know if anybody took it to quite the extremes the Swedes did, who even troubled themselves with fitting nose-gear brakes on their primary interceptor.

The Viggen was designed specifically to be operated from roads and motorways around Sweden; in fact page 1, chapter 1, of the Swedish defence plan said "Disperse at once".

They got themselves an aircraft with truly remarkable performance for the effort, astonishing for a 1960s design.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvvsRG76Vwo

Now that's what I'd call a decent set of anchors!

[GreenKnight121]

The thrust reverser helped quite a bit too.

[smujsmith]

Wow, that was something else. Never seen a real Viggen, very impressive. In fact nearly as good as an Albert ;)

Smudge

[BEagle]

Superb jet, the Viggen. I remember seeing it at the 1969 Paris Air Show and I'm still surprised that no other country bought it.

Superior to the F-4, I gather....:hmm:

And one of the only known fighters to achieve missile lock against the SR-71...:ooh:

[Green Flash]

RS15 - re the hillside hangers at Split. A few years ago we often saw the resident MiG-21's taxi out, down the back road to the west end of the airport, through a crash gate and straight into the takeoff roll. They would wazz up north to Pula for the day and wander back late afternoon.

[500N]

Deleted post

[Bing]

It looks like the palm trees and lights would have to go to make it usable.

When I briefly lived out there in the late '90s I was told they've got some sort of industrial circular saw on a truck which just drives along and chops the trees down when required. Not sure about the lights but I suspect they're hinged at the base.
To be honest it probably isn't any harder than making the city centre into a Grand Prix circuit.

[pax britanica]

I lived in sweden for enalry three eyars and worlked very close to the Bararby base notrth of stockholm. Openly an airbase but with some seriously hidden and protected (ie dug into rock) hangers. During one of the early 90 Russian instability periods they deployed two Viggen(?) squadrons there - very spectacular but within 15 minutes they had all vanished into the forest.

Also several times found myself on wide straight roads with runway type markings in various parts of the country. Went to several airshows and the short landing and reverse demo from the home made SAABs was always a feature .
God knows what developing Mach 2 fighters did to the Swedish economy with only about 8m people.

I did see something vaguely similar in UK once in the west county but could not remember where-I know we were on hols down there and driving a around came across this odd straight road with lots of space either side and lots of sheltering trees well back from it-mind you it looked a lot more WW2 vintage than cold war.

[dazjs]

Cyprus has 4 stretches of airstrip / motorway.
2 on limmasol - Nicosia A1
1 on limmasol - larnaka A5
1on limmasol - PAPHOS A6

[fleigle]

I was in N Sweden in 1984-5? for a short visit, seeing friends.
Driving back one morning from an overnight sauna/party we saw a flight of Viggins ahead, manouvering, very low, "Viggins" I said, "you like Viggins"? my friend said, "lets go visit them"
Twenty minutes later we drove up to the base, cursory examination of credentials (he was in the Reserve and they knew him), and onto the dispersal area, introductions, shown the tech area where they were downloading the data tapes, shown engine data where there was in increase in temperature after an "event", correlated said event with a 9+g turn at 80 m. !!!
"Engine overstressed, needs to be pulled"..."will the pilot get a bolloking" I asked, "Oh no, he's the Squadron Leader, no problem".
I saw much more but it still might be sensitive, fantastic experience !!!
:ok::ok::ok:
f

[BEagle]

Driving back one morning from an overnight sauna/party....

Sorry, but photos are needed to substantiate this claim. These must involve leggy Scandiwegian lovelies (I suppose these days one cannot simply say 'ladies'...:\) in a pleasing state of undress.....:E

The only aircraft I ever saw in Sweden were J-29 Tunnen from Ängelholm when on a family holiday in Båstad in the early 1960s....

[Fishtailed]

The jag on the motorway was one of the development fleet at Warton. The place was Weeton (ring a bell) on the yet to be opened M55 around 1974ish. I was there and refused to be moved on as I was an 'employee' and witnessed the landing and take off.

[John Eacott]

Australian roads were mentioned earlier: the Nullabor has substantial straight stretches which have been surveyed and marked for RFDS (Flying Doctor) operations, mostly King Airs. The local plods are trained in preparing the road (remove signs, stop traffic, etc) and this is what you see every few hundred kms:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/5450-2/IMG_0839.JPG

The daunting thing about the trip isn't the distance in itself, but arriving on the bike at the beginning to hear the GPS pipe up: "in 1,200 kilometres make a left turn" :hmm:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/5453-2/IMG_0489_001.jpg

[Pontius Navigator]

Cyprus has 4 stretches of airstrip / motorway.
2 on limmasol - Nicosia A1
1 on limmasol - larnaka A5
1on limmasol - PAPHOS A6

So how do they prevent illicit use? A chicane would be interesting the way Cyps drive.

[dazjs]

By allowing cars to drive up and down it

[Heathrow Harry]

not just cars but cars driven by Cypriots........ enough to keep anyone in the air TBH

[Pontius Navigator]

not a problem then all co-speed

[strake]

For the OP, my agents report as follows:

"The commentary is of someone phoning a friend or relative to describe, in excited and profane terms, what he has just seen. He comments on the jets being no higher than 15 metres above the "Olympic" road with black smoke emanating. From the snow to the side of the motorway, we can take an educated guess that this is in Sochi near the Black Sea resort of Krasnodar- the site of the 2014 winter Olympics. There is a civilian airport in the vicinity (ex-military) but we cannot say with any certainty whether this is a destination or source of the aircraft in the video clip."

[Phalconphixer]

Strake and Tiger...

According to this (http://www.zone-interdite.net/P/zone_532.html) website, Krasnodar Int'l Airport is still Joint Civ/Mil and the military do indeed fly Su-25's from there. The road is almost certainly the M4 which runs SW to NE to the North of Krasnodar.

If you check out the original video in full screen there is a Military looking vehicle with observers parked up on the hard shoulder on the right (at 59seconds) and a fair bit of civ/mil traffic stopped in coned off outside lane of the opposite carriageway.

More interesting perhaps, especially to the Military Spotter community, is another airfield about 10kms North of Krasnodar at 45° 04'49.61N, 38° 57'39.50E an absolute treasure trove of military aviation hardware...
Check it out!

[Heathrow Harry]

That's Krasnodar Tsentralny Air Force base - if you switch on "photographs" in Google Earth there are some nice pics of various air displays there

This year the Kuban Air show - is held elsewhere this year - further north at Novotitarovskaya - mainly business aircraft

I think the main military show is at Primorsko-Akhtarsk Air Base about 120 kms NW near the Sea of Azov

[Phalconphixer]

HH

Thanks for that. Good pics.

[kintyred]

Slightly off topic but I remember using the road between Stanley and MPA as a landing site while we were rebuilding the Mount Kent radar site. It was the only suitable spot because of all the surrounding minefields. Unnerving to find some Benny trying squeeze under the rotors in his Landrover

[mini]

The Baghdad to Amman highway has several sections on the Iraqi side of the border which are designed to act as runways, they're quite obvious as you drive them.

[cornish-stormrider]

caught an interesting documentary yesterday on the cable box about the swede's and SAAB.

that showed some good bits of roads, mountains and mines.....

I never knew the JAS series were as clever as that, Draken, Viggen, Gripen etc.

was v good - recommend it.

[Heathrow Harry]

v good aircraft - trouble was being neutral no-one else could/would buy them

[GreenKnight121]

Pilot lands on Highway 50 in Delta | 9news.com (http://www.9news.com/news/article/333925/339/Pilot-lands-on-Highway-50-in-Delta)
Pilot lands on Highway 50 in Delta, Colorado
6:03 PM, May 2, 2013
DELTA - A plane made an emergency landing on Highway 50, just north of Delta, on Thursday.

According to KKCO (http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/Pilot-makes-daring-landing-on-Hwy-50-205831641.html), Delta Police spokesperson Jamie Head says the pilot took off from the Grand Junction Regional Airport but began experiencing engine problems, including a power failure.

Air traffic controllers attempted to redirect the pilot to the airport, but he was not going to make it and decided to try to land.

The pilot managed to land the fixed wing, single-engine Cessna on the highway but lost control of the aircraft and it veered into the shoulder.

The wing of the plane clipped a fence and hit at least one power line.

KKCO says cars were driving on the road but swerved out of the plane's path.
The pilot was not injured.

The plane is registered to Janair LLC in Grand Junction, according to the FAA registry.
The right wingtip hit the fence and spun the aircraft just over 180 degrees as it went off the pavement.

The power line was hit as he set down on the pavement.

[Desert185]

Not me in this case, but I've been there. Part of it is a road. Does it count?

YouTube (http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=d2wWM8nXEKM&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dd2wWM8nXEKM)

[CY80]

Cyprus has got 3 or 4 strips, i think they are even icao registered. All have pockets to park an airplane, but those are used either by icecream trucks / sandwich vans or a police hiding with speed radars. :) the middle separation fence looks like it can be removed in just couple of hours