Circular Runway

"Peter Duniho" wrote:

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
.. .
I dunno about that. There isn't a straight stretch of road or highway
in all the mountainous areas of Switzerland, it seems to me. And I've
been on 'em, on those Postal Bus routes. It'd be a mighty short-field
technique taking off from one of those roads!

Dan is exactly correct. Air & Space Magazine ran a feature about it a few
years ago. The highways used for runways are straight enough, and they have
a removable divider between the lane directions so that the aircraft have
use of the full width of the pavement.

Hmm. I'd never have supposed it, riding on those roads. Unless you're
talking about the Schweizerautobahn it doesn't seem to me that any of
the Swiss federal or cantonal roads are wide enough for more than a GA
aircraft. Is the article online someplace?

FWIW, I've heard similar things about a stretch of highway outside of
Frankfurt.

Rob

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
...
[...] Is the article online someplace?

If it is, you'll find it at http://www.airandspacemagazine.com

They do have tables of contents for all of their back issues, to 1986. The
article I read was sometime in the last ten years for sure. In a quick
look, I noticed that the Feb/Mar 2001 issue has an article called "Don't
Mess With Switzerland", but I don't remember the article well enough to know
whether that's the one that talked about their in-mountain bases. That
article's not online anyway.

I scanned the list of articles they do have online, and didn't see anything
that caught my eye. Your best bet is to browse through the last five or ten
years of issues (there's only six per year, so that's not as daunting as it
sounds ) and see if any of the other article titles sound promising. Of
course, it wouldn't hurt to see if a nearby library of yours has the Feb/Mar
2001 issue, in case that article turns out to be the one I'm thinking of.

I might actually still have the Feb/Mar 2001 issue around, so if I get a
chance I'll look for it. But generally, I recycle the magazines every 12 to
18 months, so I probably don't.

Pete

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
...
"Peter Duniho" wrote:

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
.. .
There isn't a straight stretch of road or highway
in all the mountainous areas of Switzerland, it seems to me.

Dan is exactly correct. Air & Space Magazine ran a feature about it a
few
years ago. The highways used for runways are straight enough, and they
have
a removable divider between the lane directions so that the aircraft have
use of the full width of the pavement.

Unless you're
talking about the Schweizerautobahn it doesn't seem to me that any of
the Swiss federal or cantonal roads are wide enough for more than a GA
aircraft.

FWIW, I've heard similar things about a stretch of highway outside of
Frankfurt.

Sweden also do it.

Britain has the Harrier so doesn't need to do it! :-) Mind you
it also has plenty of runways.

Paul

I dunno about that. There isn't a straight stretch of road or highway
in all the mountainous areas of Switzerland, it seems to me. And I've
been on 'em, on those Postal Bus routes. It'd be a mighty short-field
technique taking off from one of those roads!

You didn't look closely enough! The Swiss autobahns were buitl as
runways. They even had (probably still have) pop-up barriers so the
automobile traffic won't get tangled with the jet interceptors.

(Actually, it was on a Swiss bus, coming down from Arolla in 1974,
that I saw the hangar doors. Don't recall where the runway was in that
case, since I wasn't on the autobahn.)

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

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

FWIW, I've heard similar things about a stretch of highway outside of
Frankfurt.

The U.S. Army used the autobahn as as airports. There's a great photo
of a flock of L-4s lined up on the verge. Evidently when the "airport"
was in operation they simply closed that lane and put all the traffic
on the other one. Americans didn't have much experience with divided
highways in 1945.

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

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

Feb/Mar 2001 issue has an article called "Don't
Mess With Switzerland",

I don't think so. The piece you're remembering may even have been a
short "Soundings" or other department, not a feature article.

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

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
...
"Peter Duniho" wrote:

"Rob Perkins" wrote in message
.. .
I dunno about that. There isn't a straight stretch of road or highway
in all the mountainous areas of Switzerland, it seems to me. And I've
been on 'em, on those Postal Bus routes. It'd be a mighty short-field
technique taking off from one of those roads!

Dan is exactly correct. Air & Space Magazine ran a feature about it a
few
years ago. The highways used for runways are straight enough, and they
have
a removable divider between the lane directions so that the aircraft have
use of the full width of the pavement.

Hmm. I'd never have supposed it, riding on those roads. Unless you're
talking about the Schweizerautobahn it doesn't seem to me that any of
the Swiss federal or cantonal roads are wide enough for more than a GA
aircraft. Is the article online someplace?

FWIW, I've heard similar things about a stretch of highway outside of
Frankfurt.
An hour and a half west of Frankfurt there is a long, straight road near
Ramstein AB. A retired USAF pilot told me that Hitler used this for an
emergency landing strip.

Cub Driver wrote:


I dunno about that. There isn't a straight stretch of road or highway
in all the mountainous areas of Switzerland, it seems to me. And I've
been on 'em, on those Postal Bus routes. It'd be a mighty short-field
technique taking off from one of those roads!

You didn't look closely enough! The Swiss autobahns were buitl as
runways. They even had (probably still have) pop-up barriers so the
automobile traffic won't get tangled with the jet interceptors.

(Actually, it was on a Swiss bus, coming down from Arolla in 1974,
that I saw the hangar doors. Don't recall where the runway was in that
case, since I wasn't on the autobahn.)

Can't find Arolla on my map. Which Canton is it in? I found Airola, in
Ticino, and Arosa, in Graubuenden, two cantons which in spite of my 16
months there, I never managed to visit. I spent most of my time in
Basel.

In any case, I don't doubt it's possible, just that it'd be really
difficult on any road the Swiss build except the Autobahn. And even
then, they'd have to be great pilots in any case to operate in those
mountains...

Rob

"Cub Driver" wrote in message
news

Feb/Mar 2001 issue has an article called "Don't
Mess With Switzerland",

I don't think so. The piece you're remembering may even have been a
short "Soundings" or other department, not a feature article.

Possibly. It definitely had at least one photograph, showing the highway
and entrance to a hangar, but that doesn't rule out it having appeared in a
column. The cover of the Feb/Mar 2001, and even the article's statement
certainly suggest that article is focused on Switzerland's airplanes, rather
than its air force bases.

I *think* the article was before 2001 as well. I simply mentioned that
article as the single article I noticed in my brief search among the back
issue information.

Pete

Rob Perkins wrote:

I dunno about that. There isn't a straight stretch of road or highway
in all the mountainous areas of Switzerland, it seems to me.

There's more about Switzerland than the Alps, you know...

Can't find Arolla on my map. Which Canton is it in?

Arolla in in the Canton Valais. You go to the town Sion and then follow
a little valley which points to the south, direction Matterhorn. At the
very end of that valley you'll find Arolla. You needn't be too
disappointed if you don't find it on your map, as it's a really really
really small village.

I spent most of my time in Basel.

That's where I'm living. You worked for the chemistry, I guess?

In any case, I don't doubt it's possible, just that it'd be really
difficult on any road the Swiss build except the Autobahn.

Yes, those runways are on the Autobahn. In fact, pieces of the Autobahn
were planned with this in mind. Don't forget that jets meant "Venom" at
that time. Runways of 6000 ft were plenty long enough. Today they fly
F/A 18 and landing on the Autobahn isn't in their plans anymore.

You'll find a short history at
http://www.vbs-ddps.ch/internet/luft...lt/freewa.html
(German only).

And even
then, they'd have to be great pilots in any case to operate in those
mountains...

Take a look at http://www.steehouwer.com/ (scroll to the bottom and
choose Swiss Air Force, Axalp). Some of those pictures are impressing.

Stefan