Silver City Highway to double as airstrip for RFDS in NSW far west

[Matthew Chisholm]

Nice little feel good story.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-21/silver-city-highway-to-double-as-airstrip-in-nsw-far-west/6638112

http://www.governmentnews.com.au/2015/07/highway-doubles-as-flying-doctor-landing-strip/

[Justin L]

Nice! Great photo of the airstrip/highway in the second link.

[Greg Hyde]

This happens quite often.

The white poles on the roadside are removable.

The local cops, shutdown the road and marshal the aircraft via mobile radio. It was shown on several reality TV shows.

If the local strip is closed to PC-12 the alternate site is a highway.

[Mick F]

In total I spent just under 7 years working for the RFDS. I always wanted to do a road landing, but 99 times out of 100 you could find a suitable strip nearby to use instead. I did come very close one day, but the patient had already been moved to a suitable strip.

They're handy, particuarly after rain, but in QLD at least, rarely used.

Mick

[Adrian B]

There is an episode of one of the Police type shows like Highway Patrol where they do shut the highway as the strip was too soft.

[Paul S.]

Can't the road to Changi airport in SIN also be used as an emergency runway. I was told that when I was over there years ago.

[Garry Emanuel]

I recall the same being the case in Singapore too - I think it requires the removal of the large concrete planter tubs though, hence, not an emergency but rather a fall back in case of damage to the main facility.

[MarkR]

I recall the same being the case in Singapore too - I think it requires the removal of the large concrete planter tubs though, hence, not an emergency but rather a fall back in case of damage to the main facility.

Singapore has two emergency strips, one on the ECP which is rarely used and the other which has had regular use:

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/imindef/press_room/official_releases/nr/2002/nov/01nov02_nr2.print.noimg.html

Pic of an A4 trying it here:

http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/067da1bc-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad

[Michael Cleary]

I think parts of the Eyre Highway across the Nullabor are marked for use as a landing strip if required.

There are a few Highway/Freeway strips in Asia that can quickly be converted to a runway for military use - the Singapore one as mentioned, and some in South Korea and Taiwan. One of the Taiwan ones was the subject of a Discovery (or Nat Geo) documentary titled "Freeway Runway" (I think that was the name) when they did a rehearsal. Less likely to see use now of course as relations between Taiwan and China have thawed considerably.