Interesting experience

That happens more often than not. I suppose it is a hectic time getting ready to make sure ... and then in air traffic and perhaps an hour wait in line. There went his gas. One never knows. When out on the west coast the gas at a certain airport was either bad or not gas on several times. Once when B24 was there to show and tell - it was almost a mega mistake. Then there were several crashes and more than one deaths.

Actually the Interstate highways were designed and built for just that reason - to land Airplanes upon their return from a war out of hand. It was Ike's thought after seeing some of the same stuff in Germany.

He knew the home bases would be targeted. But that was cold war days - Kinda like now, with Bear bombers flying over Alaska, North Pole (all nations) and our Carrier. Iran and China blasting missiles that are not friendly.

Martin

Mart> I was driving to Las Vegas the other day. I was in Virgin River Gorge, a

?SI VIS PACEM, PARA BELLUM ? meaning literally: ?If you want peace, prepare for war?.

"Rei militaris instituta", also called "Epitoma rei militaris? by Vegetius c. 4th. A.D.

Unka' George [George McDuffee]

------------------------------------------- He that will not apply new remedies, must expect new evils: for Time is the greatest innovator: and if Time, of course, alter things to the worse, and wisdom and counsel shall not alter them to the better, what shall be the end?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English philosopher, essayist, statesman. Essays, "Of Innovations" (1597-1625).

When I was practicing for my private license, of course, we always considered landing on highways in emergencies. Landing speed (60± mph) is the same as traffic. Cars behind the landing craft are surprised and slow down. I hope that cars in front don't look in their rear view mirror and slow down.

Ivan Vegvary

Don't know if anyone reading this has ever been on that section of road. It IS an Interstate, but is divided, two lanes with shoulder and narrow emergency lane to the middle. Nonetheless, it is twisty, and most people who are driving it are watching the road and guardrails. He must have just hit a break in traffic.

Las Vegas To St. George is 120 miles as the crow flies. Seems like a full tank would get you there on a small Cessna even with a long taxi.

Steve

Hope he got some gas, and managed to get airbourne again. I've heard FAA really doesn't like people to land on roads.

Actually, they weren't.

There are several designated landing strips on the Eyre Highway crossing the Nullarbor. Designed to allow Flying Doctor aircraft to land and evacuate accident victims. One part is the world's longest runway, about 130 km of dead straight road, it only varies in elevation by about +/- 10 metres. Horrible to drive on at night as high beam headlights are dazzling from over 30 km away.

Maybe that was part of the argument to Congress?

Eisenhower was in a "rapid" reinforcement exercise in the 30's that actually took months to move an army across the US, so when he saw the Autobahn he knew it was the answer to the problem of concentrating forces quickly enough to repel a massive invasion, something he understood as well as anyone. He had prevented the Germans from building up fast enough in Normandy by blocking the narrow French roads with air power, and the Resistance had easily sabotaged the rails. The 2nd SS Panzer Division in Provence needed 2 critical weeks to reach the battle.

Like runways, the Autobahn was too wide to adequately cut by bombing. Even tactical nukes won't (theoretically) cause enough damage to stop tanks.

Jim Wilkins