Roads as runways.
 

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 ?? :

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3ad_1365768440
( 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.

Roads used as runways.
 

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.

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

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


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

Preston Bypass (M55):

http://motorwayarchive.ihtservices.c...n_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

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...

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

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

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!!

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

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/wikipedi...ore_M62_J8.JPG

RAF USAF Burtonwood:: OS grid SJ5691 :: Geograph Britain and Ireland - photograph every grid square!


.

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

Deleted the Gib picture - too big!

Here is a Tornado on a German Autobahn...

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

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

in Australia
 

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

Road as runways
 

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

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.

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=0.001506,0.0032 7&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 :(

SRENNAPS
 

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:

Footage of a Singaporean Exercise here:

RSAF Exercise Torrent 2008 - HD - YouTube

RSAF Exercise Torrent 2008 - HD

Taiwan.

Planes land on motorway in Taiwan military drill - Mirage 2000 - YouTube

Ramstein
 

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

In an interesting twist, Ramstein's main is built on a pre-war autobahn, (previously used by the Luftwaffe it says here)

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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

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.................................

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.

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 ?

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.

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.

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

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.