Emergency Airstrips

[Moneybox]

Does OzRunways list R.F.D.S. airstrips?

 

If you ever get the chance to navigate your way across this big wide country of ours you might find it useful to have a few extra airstrips recorded just incase you need an unscheduled stop. This might be particularly useful to those navigating IFR.

 

 

 

Each time I came across one of these I checked OzRunways but they didn't show up. Perhaps it's just the options I have set.

 

 

In any case I've recorded the coordinates of each one I came across between SA and home in WA.

[Red]

Is this marked out on a public road?

 

[onetrack]

Yes, several locations on major highways in Western Australia, in particular, are specially widened and painted with piano keys to facilitate the landing of RFDS aircraft for highway crash emergencies, and other local medical emergencies.

 

The reason they do not appear on OzRunways is because traffic control must be formerly initiated with the Police or Main Roads W.A. staff, before they can be used as airstrips. The highway is effectively and officially closed to traffic for the duration of RFDS aircraft use. See 6.4.1 "Traffic Management Plan" below.

 

As all major W.A. highways permit the use of triple road trains running to 120 tonnes gross (and oversize loads to considerably larger levels, up to 300 tonnes and occasionally even higher) - and that the frequency of road trains in rural and remote locations is at a considerable level (I've come across 8 double road trains in a row, on a rural highway. They are obliged to stay 200M apart) - then you can imagine that the authorities don't want to see serious interaction between the likes of a large road train and an aircraft, thus the reason for intensive traffic management when aircraft traffic and road traffic are likely to come into conflict.

 

https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/49c4d6/globalassets/technical-commercial/technical-library/road-and-traffic-engineering/guide-to-road-design/additional-road-design/emergency-landing-strips/emergency-landing-strips-policy-and-application-guidelines.pdf

 

Main Roads W.A. actually provide instructions on the construction of airstrips on the major highways under MRWA control.

 

https://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au/globalassets/technical-commercial/technical-library/guideline-drawings/emergency-runway-strip-details/200431-0003-emergency-runway-strip-details.pdf

 

 

Edited Thursday at 01:28 PM by onetrack

[Red]

What an excellent undertaking. Kudos to whoever pushed to get this done

Not many countries it could work

[RossK]

7 hours ago, Red said:

What an excellent undertaking. Kudos to whoever pushed to get this done

Not many countries it could work

RFDS Training PC-24

[facthunter]

Sweden did it long ago for the SAAB Viggen, I think it was..  Nev

[onetrack]

It's amazing to see the wingspan of the PC-24 in relation to the highway reserve width. Even with the additional width of sealed highway edges, there's not a huge margin for drift error in the event of a strong crosswind.

 

One of my former business partners owned a Piper Cherokee, and about 1985/86, he took a young girl for a joyflight, departing Kalgoorlie to the West. Not long after becoming airborne, the engine stopped due to fuel starvation.

He put the Cherokee down on the (recently-widened, fortunately) highway between Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie. All went well, avoiding the low level of traffic, until the middle of the rollout, when a large roadside sign loomed up!

 

The roadside sign was well built with dual heavy pipe uprights, and he had no chance of avoiding it due to inadequate control surface authority at low speed, and he clobbered the sign with a wing, doing major structural damage to the aircraft. No-one was hurt.

He claimed to me in later discussion that the crossover fuel tank selector valve failed. Knowing him and his generally erratic style, I suspect he was lax when it came to correctly setting the fuel tank valve, and inadvertently shut off the fuel supply.

 

Edited yesterday at 02:20 AM by onetrack

[facthunter]

Keeping near the Runway centre is Often a challenge. Trees and shrubs and posts can bother the wings. With a road there's no other runway available. IF the Crosswinds limiting you need to have an alternate. Nev

[Red]

3 hours ago, facthunter said:

Sweden did it long ago for the SAAB Viggen, I think it was..  Nev

Thy still do, but its a very different operation and obviously not available to civilian aviation 

.....Well apart from being chosen in an emergency of course like anywhere else

Edited yesterday at 04:58 AM by Red

[facthunter]

Watch for wires, poles trees, cattle grids, vehicles and sensational headlines when landing on a road. Nice to be near one when landing other places.  Nev

[BrendAn]

19 hours ago, Moneybox said:

Does OzRunways list R.F.D.S. airstrips?

 

If you ever get the chance to navigate your way across this big wide country of ours you might find it useful to have a few extra airstrips recorded just incase you need an unscheduled stop. This might be particularly useful to those navigating IFR.

 

 

 

Each time I came across one of these I checked OzRunways but they didn't show up. Perhaps it's just the options I have set.

 

 

In any case I've recorded the coordinates of each one I came across between SA and home in WA.

raaus type aircraft have a runway that stretches from northam to port augusta if you fly ifr.      

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

You don't need a long runway flying RAAus types.  That's one factor making them acceptably safe.  The landing place doesn't have to be straight either.  Nev

Edited yesterday at 08:59 AM by facthunter

[BrendAn]

21 hours ago, Moneybox said:

Does OzRunways list R.F.D.S. airstrips?

 

If you ever get the chance to navigate your way across this big wide country of ours you might find it useful to have a few extra airstrips recorded just incase you need an unscheduled stop. This might be particularly useful to those navigating IFR.

 

 

 

Each time I came across one of these I checked OzRunways but they didn't show up. Perhaps it's just the options I have set.

 

 

In any case I've recorded the coordinates of each one I came across between SA and home in WA.

How are you going with your RPC

 

[Moneybox]

1 hour ago, BrendAn said:

How are you going with your RPC

 

Great if I was not spending weeks prospecting, then tripping to China, then a quick trip to Melbourne and Adelaide (7000km in 8 days by road towing), then a quick trip to Geraldton and back.

 

 

Now I'm rebuilding the car trailer that I brought the plane home on so that it can handle the new Bobcat and a quad bike.

 

 

That gold was for three and a half weeks so Mrs M wants to go straight back. I'm hoping by the time we're ready I have a POW (program of works) in place so we can operate Bob, the new Bobcat.

 

Then I might get a chance to get back into the plane 😳. I desperately need to be able to fly. 

[Moneybox]

R.F.D.S. emergency air strips east to west...

 

 

There may have been more if I was having a micro sleep as I passed by...

Edited yesterday at 01:04 PM by Moneybox

[onetrack]

They are all named for convenience and reference purposes. The first one in MB's list is called Chadwick Roadstrip.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chadwick+Roadstrip/@-31.5739973,130.1602548

 

[pmccarthy]

There is one in NSW south of Tibbooburra.