Airport landing videos

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February 14th, 2016 at 5:04:57 PM permalink
Wizard
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Member since: Oct 23, 2012
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Quote: Nareed
No.

Those are obstacles for landing craft. The Nazis expected the invasion to come at high tide. Those things would be under water then. The landings came between low and high tides, though, rendering the obstacles visible.


Seems you and BBB have a difference of opinion. Paco?
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February 14th, 2016 at 5:11:38 PM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
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Quote: Wizard
Is that why there those huge things that looked like jacks all over the beach -- to keep gliders from landing on the beach?

No, the sharp angled steel is to rip the bottoms out of landing craft (plywood), later the allies recycled the obstacles to break out through the hedgerows.

You don't want to drop gliders near a beach, much less on it. You want to penetrate inland and let the gliders land in designated meadows or fields so as to leap frog coastal defenses and make some inroads inland to capture vital intersections, towns, enemy encampments not yet alerted to combat status.
February 14th, 2016 at 7:32:31 PM permalink
Fleastiff
Member since: Oct 27, 2012
Threads: 62
Posts: 7831
Quote: Wizard
I don't know why, but I can't get enough of these airport landing videos.

Some people prefer to listen to the FAA radio traffic with its errors and insults and, most often, great skill and professionalism.

I recall an instructor who suddenly said "Oh, my God" in reference to a pilot yacking and yacking on the wrong frequency but since I had just made a turn I was looking around for a National Guard cargo plane I must have cut in front of. Or I was Holding Short in a 152 while this twin engine job was landing. Just as the other plane was about to touch down the Tower asked me my intentions and I replied "CN123 will continue to hold short, will later be doing closed traffic" causing a negative comment from my instructor but I wanted to make it clear that when told to hold short I would still be holding short. I still think the instructor was wrong. Finally, I gave up on him and this "cheapie" flight school.
February 14th, 2016 at 10:02:05 PM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
Quote: Fleastiff
No, the sharp angled steel is to rip the bottoms out of landing craft (plywood), later the allies recycled the obstacles to break out through the hedgerows.

You don't want to drop gliders near a beach, much less on it. You want to penetrate inland and let the gliders land in designated meadows or fields so as to leap frog coastal defenses and make some inroads inland to capture vital intersections, towns, enemy encampments not yet alerted to combat status.


The first landings on D-Day were glider borne at Pegasus Bridge. 6 Horsa gliders landed elements of the 6th Airborne to secure the flank of the British forces on D-Day.

They also used gliders by the truck load on operation Market-Garden. That didn't work out so well, but the Polish Airborne did want to repeat the same trick as at Pegasus of landing gliders either on or near the key bridge at Arnhem. Better recon of the area might have led to Market-Garden not being the gong-show it ended up being.
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February 14th, 2016 at 10:10:30 PM permalink
TheCesspit
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 23
Posts: 1929
Quote: beachbumbabs
Quote: Wizard


Is that why there those huge things that looked like jacks all over the beach -- to keep gliders from landing on the beach? Same thing with those things that looked like blimps with a cable between it and the ground?


Yes, I think that's exactly what they were for.

I would echo the recommendation you take flying lessons. It's the most wonderful thing to fly yourself, especially during take-off and landing. Very different than being a passenger in the same aircraft.


They are Czech Hedgehogs: used as traps and obstacles for the tanks. They weren't meant to be imovable, but instead designed to get stuck under the tanks when they hit them to push them out of the way. They also stopped infantry taking cover behind them, which the large concrete 'Dragon's Teeth' traps did allow.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_hedgehog

Rommel's Asparagus were large sharp pointed logs sticking straight up, and used to hinder both glider landings in the fields, and the sea craft on the beaches. But didn't really work on the later very well. They also would have wire strung between them to also stop glider landings. Or at least make them messy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rommel%27s_asparagus

Hemmbalken were the logs on sticks you can see in the photo on the water's edge, and these were designed to hit the bottom of the landing craft, and either rip them apart, or trigger an attached mine.
It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.... it's called Life
February 15th, 2016 at 3:12:26 AM permalink
beachbumbabs
Member since: Sep 3, 2013
Threads: 6
Posts: 1600
Cool! Thanks, Cess! Interesting info you found.
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February 15th, 2016 at 9:37:55 AM permalink
Nareed
Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545
There are too many downsides to landing a glider on the beach.

For one thing, landing craft were cheap and plentiful. For another, gliders littering the beach would get in the way of other soldiers landing by sea. For yet a third thing, a glider cannot do a go-around. if it drifts into the ocean on the way down, very likely many soldiers will drown.
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