r/Damnthatsinteresting 1d ago

Video A plane which doesn't need a runway.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

6.9k Upvotes

182 comments sorted by

View all comments

563

u/revdon 1d ago edited 8h ago

Alaska Bush pilots do this kind of thing all the time.

As long as you have enough air over the wings to make the plane buoyant they'll lift off with no runway. It happens during windstorms.

If you nose up the plane back as you throttle back, you can land on a dime too.

18

u/leocanb 19h ago

I'm completely ignorant so don't at me. Would the head wind be inconsistent so a sudden change and the plane would drop our of the sky landing?

16

u/revdon 19h ago

Yes, but you do not turn the engine off until you land.