Is it possible to make Highway Strips in fs9? in fsx is available by default, and it's not so bad. I just want to feel what it's like to take off and land on a short runway and surrounded by woods. You know, like the Finnish Air Force usually do.

Pixy,
I think that you are able to do most things. I don't know what you mean by default, as I don't have FSX, but if you have scenery that includes a road running through some trees then you can create a simple runway, either or concrete or asphalt, to match the road and have no markings or approach aids.
Probably using a tool like AFX would be best so that you can overlay the AFD that you are creating on the scenery to ensure the maximum possible integration.

Is this what you are talking about it? The trouble is that it will only work for you as each persons scenery is different, they may or may not have roads on their system, and if they do they may or may not be in the same place due to either a lack of a landclass file or users having different ones.

If you were making one for a package, you would at the very least need to build the scenery for the area first to ensure that everybody sees the same.

Does this answer your question?

Absolutely sir, loud and clear, sorry for disturbing, but I was really don't know. Because I can't use AFX, just AFCAD. Sorry sir, and thank you very much. What I mean by default is this : http://www.simtours.net/highwaystrips.php

It is a long time since I have done this but in AFCAD you make a narrow invisible runway to match the road with no markings or lights. If you want to use AI then you will have to add taxiways and parking. I am sure somebody with more expertise can jump in here and add more detail.

Hey no problem, Pixy. We all learn by asking. After reading that I learned something new about about FSX, but I do not believe that there are any built-in to FS9.
However, you can make your own its not compulsory to use AFX, it would just be easier to align the runway as you could see the runway on top of the scenery. The same technique can be used using either AFCAD or ADE, but it becomes harder if you want to make it available to others as I described earlier.

There are some in Germany as well (not in FS9 or FSX though). Last time used was probably in the 80's. Today people would cry loud if a highway would be closed for cars

Anyway, if you want to know their positions just let me know. At least two of them I know from regular driving on.

Pixy,

Steve and Graham are both correct. I have successfully made a number of custom invisible highway, taxiway and grass field air strips in FS9 using AFCAD. I actually created a Finnish highway strip for Nick's Finnish F-18 package along with an NBAI F-18 Highway FDE that allowed his NBAI F-18's to use it. However, because of all the potential scenery issues that Steve describes, Nick chose not to include it in his package.

Mike

Thanks guys, looks like I'm gonna learn the AFX (I'm such a dumb). Sprocky, looks like I need those, but I want to learn the AFX first. I'll let you know later.

Do the Swedes also use the odd highway now and again? I think I remember reading that the Gripen has a fairly short-field performance to cater for this type of operation, but I've no idea whether they actually use them this way or not.

By the way, you can do this in good old AFCAD if you wish, Pixy. If you have FSUIPC by Pete Dowson, then when you are running FS9 and AFCAD at the same time, while in FS9 you move your plane to where you want one end of the "invisible" runway to start, and hit the "full-stop" key. This should place a "node" in AFCAD, which you will later use to reference the position of the runway when you add it into the AFCAD display screen. Now do the same for the other end of the runway, again hitting the full-stop key when your aircraft is in position. Next, bring the AFCAD window to the front, and make your runway start and end at the nodes you added while in FS.

Does that make sense?

AFX was mentioned because it makes the job easier. But if you aren't used to AFX, AFCAD will work too.

Yes, it was always the vision of the Swedish Air Force to be able to basically "have an airfield where you need it". Both Draken and Viggen had good STOL capability. I guess the same can be said for the Gripen

-> Gripen landing on road.

That's some great footage! No good in the UK though, as the aircraft would dissappear in a pot-hole...

A beautiful and unusual aircraft. I think the ETPS lease one from Swedish Air Force for one semester every year. Did that one ever make it into one of the MAIW packages featuring Boscombe?

Switzerland too had several prepared stretches of motorway ready to be used as for use as emergency airfields in case of damages to first line airfields. All were checked and used for real. Aircraft that were used were those in service then i.e Hunter, Mirage IIIS and F-5 Tiger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHwwAV12 ... 1&index=58

and in FS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUuPQsZR ... re=related
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Willy

kungfuman wrote:That's some great footage! No good in the UK though, as the aircraft would dissappear in a pot-hole...

You are probably right, although I do remember the RAF tested a Jaguar operating from a new stretch of Motorway once. I seem to remember that they proved that it could be done but the biggest drawback was logistics. You needed ground crew, support staff, fuel, weapons and not least spares to operate for any length of time away from a base. You have to operate in smaller units which means a bigger overhead in support staff. If you want to operate in bad whether or 24hr operations then you need portable airfield aids as well.

Last and by no means least your aircraft will not be protected. If they are discovered they are dead.

I believe that the conclusion, at that time, was that that it was a great concept but not practical for UK operational use. The generally accepted way of neutralizing a force is to divide it, to make it easier to eliminate its threat. By dispersing you were effectively hampering your own force. Your weapons may survive but what you are protecting won't.
The Harriers deployments were deemed operationally better on three counts. One, they didn't need to operate from motorways. Two, the plan was to basically abandon Gutesloh at startex and therefore it was staffed for that purpose, this strategy was in place for at least some period of history. Three, the cost and logistics of that was partly offset by NATO.

Errrrmmm, I may have gone slightly too much into strategy here. Apologies.

kungfuman wrote:That's some great footage! No good in the UK though, as the aircraft would dissappear in a pot-hole...

A beautiful and unusual aircraft. I think the ETPS lease one from Swedish Air Force for one semester every year. Did that one ever make it into one of the MAIW packages featuring Boscombe?

ETPS Gripen has nothing to do with Boscombe Down. It is ran by another division of ETPS in Europe...

Myrtle Beach AFB when it was open, would operate their A-10s from a highway strip each summer, as maintenance was done on the runway. Would run it like a forward base with tents and the whole works.

Yes people forget that the interstate highway system in the US was originally designed to have long flat stretches in places without bridges, etc. to be able to use them for emergency airstrips by the military. I never heard of the US Air Force practicing roads as airfields, until flyboy's post.

We played in the woods alot with Myrtle. They worked with the 507th TACC which was part of the 507th Tactical Air Control Wing based at Shaw AFB. When I was at Shaw the 507th had the O-2A Forward Air Control aircraft and the TACW and the A-10s did a lot of forward base exercises and support for and with the US Army. They were Close Air Support planned for NATO deployments.

I remember seeing the F-16s (brand new to Shaw) and the A-10s dogfight over Shaw during base exercises as part of the base CAP. We would attack Myrtle when they exercised with the 16s.

Best attacking aircraft that I had to dodge was a UK Harrier during a eval at RAF Fairford. You run one way and they stop on a dime and come after you. I was working for the 11th SG setting up the RAF Rapier batteries around Fairford at that time. The F-111s from RAF Upper Heyford would hit us at night.

Good old days....

ricktk wrote:Yes people forget that the interstate highway system in the US was originally designed to have long flat stretches in places without bridges, etc. to be able to use them for emergency airstrips by the military.

The interstate highway system in the US will barely handle the heavy truck traffic without falling apart. I can just picture what aircraft traffic would do to it over a period of time. The infrastructure in the US is falling down around us. Myrtle operated off a state 2 lane highway which as reinforced and designed to be used as a highway strip. I guess they tried to duplicate a European type highway strip in case they had to operate on one being NATO planned.

The interstate highway system in the US will barely handle the heavy truck traffic without falling apart. I can just picture what aircraft traffic would do to it over a period of time. The infrastructure in the US is falling down around us. Myrtle operated off a state 2 lane highway which as reinforced and designed to be used as a highway strip. I guess they tried to duplicate a European type highway strip in case they had to operate on one being NATO planned.

So true! I think as stated above by Steve, it was concept (1950's) that just was not practical. And of course, our military aircraft have become so much larger. I loved a picture I took quite awhile ago at an airshow with a WW2 P-40 parked under the wing of a F-15.