Airstrips with bends in them

On Tue, 14 Sep 2004 19:44:35 -0700, "Leadfoot"
wrote:

They proved you could do
it just couldn't find a reason why you'd want to

Well, supposing you lived on a small island?
all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
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Anderson is the only place where you can see the top of the tanker before it
leaves the ground. Sitting at the end watching our 4 KC-135's depart before
us I was shocked at how much of a bowl it was .

--
Les Matheson
F-4C(WW)/D/E/G(WW), AC-130A, MC-130E WSO/EWO (ret)

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
news:XlR1d.47003$MQ5.13978@attbi_s52...
Anderson, on Guam once (mid 1950's), (and maybe still does) have a low
spot
somewhat near mid-length that caused more than one properly trimmed B-47s
to
have a "hard landing" on take-off. Lots of outdoor retraction tests
examining struts and wheel well door alignment! You had to be there.
Old Chief Lynn




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On Tue, 14 Sep 2004 19:54:37 +1200, "Errol Cavit"
was heard to screech:

The below article talks about landing a Herk on a strip in the back of
beyond in Afghanistan.
'The strip, composed of dirt, rock and gravel, is about 8 thousand feet long
with a five-degree bend in the centerline. Its elevation is nearly 8500 feet
in the air."

I'm curious as to how much of a challenge a 5deg bend is to handle in
something like a Herk.

Dunno about that, but I know the Barimunya runway has a hill in the
middle of it.
Next time i'm up there, i'll try to get some photos of it during the
day.

Carsten Bauer
numloxx ON iinet dot net dot au
Photography and Aviation
Change the ON to AT to reply

"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message news:XlR1d.47003$MQ5.13978@attbi_s52...
Anderson, on Guam once (mid 1950's), (and maybe still does) have a low spot
somewhat near mid-length that caused more than one properly trimmed B-47s to
have a "hard landing" on take-off. Lots of outdoor retraction tests
examining struts and wheel well door alignment! You had to be there.
Old Chief Lynn

The dip in the runway at Guam is more toward the south end. When
landing north the runway keeps dropping away from you and then
suddenly rises causing a lot of front wheel first touchdowns in B-47s
and B-52s. On takeoff to the north you seem to be accelerating good
until you hit the upslope. The redeeming feature is that once
airborne you have approximately 500 feet of instant altitude over the
cliff on the north end.

Gene Myers
Old buff pilot

matheson31 wrote:

Anderson is the only place where you can see the top of the tanker before it
leaves the ground. Sitting at the end watching our 4 KC-135's depart before
us I was shocked at how much of a bowl it was .

Korat wasn't that much different. From the end of the runway,
you could watch an F-105 disappear behind a hill twice during
his takeoff roll. Then he'd quickly disappear behind the
foliage he just cleared.

"Dweezil Dwarftosser" wrote in message
...
matheson31 wrote:

Anderson is the only place where you can see the top of the tanker
before it
leaves the ground. Sitting at the end watching our 4 KC-135's depart
before
us I was shocked at how much of a bowl it was .

Korat wasn't that much different. From the end of the runway,
you could watch an F-105 disappear behind a hill twice during
his takeoff roll. Then he'd quickly disappear behind the
foliage he just cleared.

IIRC Sembach has a pretty good dip in it too.

Pete

Deal Island in Bass Strait has a "banana" strip. One of my mates has landed
there and says its "interesting".

--
Bernie Samms
Kingston Beach Tasmania

Aero Club of Southern Tasmania www.acst.com.au
Prologic Pty Ltd www.prologic.com.au

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"Errol Cavit" wrote in message
...
The below article talks about landing a Herk on a strip in the back of
beyond in Afghanistan.
'The strip, composed of dirt, rock and gravel, is about 8 thousand feet
long
with a five-degree bend in the centerline. Its elevation is nearly 8500
feet
in the air."

I'm curious as to how much of a challenge a 5deg bend is to handle in
something like a Herk.

Cheers


http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/news/articles.../0910-afh.html
Air Force Hercules Touches Down in Afghanistan
10 September 2004
Amid a cloud of dust and a shower of gravel an Air Force C-130 Hercules
touched down for its first flight in to Bamyan airfield in Afghanistan.
The flight, on 1 September carried 56 personnel joining the Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) and was the first of several to the region.
photos snipped
A sight to behold from the air, the bent Bamyan airfield is lined by
jagged
mountains that tower thousands of feet above the strip. On one side
buildings pass within 100 feet of the aircraft's wingtip.
Further down the valley and within easy sight on the airfield is what
remains of the two Buddha statues destroyed by the Taliban. Nearby, the
New
Zealand camp houses around 100 members of the PRT.
For the pilots, their first recent 'in-theatre' flight posed an extra
degree
of technical difficulty. The strip, composed of dirt, rock and gravel, is
about 8 thousand feet long with a five-degree bend in the centerline. Its
elevation is nearly 8500 feet in the air.
The high altitude not only affects the performance of the four engines,
but
the aircraft's true approach speed is also significantly increased.
For aircraft captain Squadron Leader Greg Caie and co-pilot Flight
Lieutenant Oliver Bint, preparation was the key.
" We conducted practice runs in a flight simulator, as well as high
altitude, short field training flights around the South Island of New
Zealand," said Greg Caie.
And their homework paid off. After a clearing pass Greg Caie skillfully
maneuvered the Hercules onto the deck.
To avoid problems with high altitude engine starts the passengers
disembarked out the tail of the aircraft with all four engines running.
Four
minutes later the Hercules was airborne again and making its way down the
valley towards Bagram to the East.
The flight in to Bamyan highlights the versatility of the C-130 and the
broad skill set required by the New Zealand crews.
For Greg Caie the weeks of preparation were well worth it.
"Such a large team effort was required to mount this a task. It really is
rewarding for the crew and everyone else involved behind the scenes, " he
said.


--
Errol Cavit | | "The Battle of Romani was the
decisive engagement of the entire Sinai and Palestine Campaign. Before
Romani British policy, strategy and tactics were all defensive, those of
the
Turks were offensive. The stand of the 1st and 2nd Light Horse brigades
and
the counter-attack of the New Zealanders reversed the situation." ANZACs
at
War, J Laffin

Deal Island in Bass Strait has a "banana" strip. One of my mates has landed
there and says its "interesting".

The strip is curved? (Don;t tell us it was paved with bananas!)

Speaking of slippery strips, I understand that Marston Matting in the
rainy season is in a class of its own. (PSP to the USAAF.)


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
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