Longer runways give you more options which
gives you more safety. I like safety.
Bob Hoover was not impressed with the short
runway that he had to routinely dead-stick
experimental fighter jets onto, as a test pilot
for North American. Read his auto-biography.
But Bob probably wasn't much of a stick compared
to an [u]African Bush Pilot Hero[/u]. You know, the
guys that can't land a 172 in a crosswind without
wrecking it.
With a long enough runway, an engine failure in
a piston twin after takeoff is a non-event. Instead
of dying like Rookie in an inverted Vmc demo, you
just pull both throttles back, let the nose drop, and
flare and land on nice hard pavement.
I can see how avoiding an accident with improved
facilities would upset someone like Rookie.
Like that over-run mush at the end of long runways.
Great idea. It's saved a lot of lives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engineere ... tor_system
[quote]On May 1, 2017, the FAA issued a summary citing twelve incidents of aircraft stopped by EMAS, involving a total of 284 passengers and crew:[8]
In May 1999, a Saab 340 commuter aircraft with 30 persons aboard overran the runway at JFK.
In May 2003, a Gemini Cargo MD-11 cargo aircraft with 3 persons aboard overran the runway at JFK.
In January 2005, a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft with 3 persons aboard overran the runway at JFK.
In July 2006, a Mystere Falcon 900 business aircraft with 5 persons aboard overran the runway at Greenville Downtown Airport in South Carolina.
In July 2008, an Airbus A320 commercial airliner with 145 persons aboard overran the runway at Chicago's O'Hare Airport.
On 19 January 2010, a Bombardier CRJ-200 commercial regional airliner with 34 persons aboard overran the runway at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after a rejected takeoff.[9]
On 1 October 2010, a G-4 Gulfstream business aircraft with 10 persons aboard overran the runway at Teterboro Airport in Teterboro, New Jersey.[10]
On 2 November 2011, a Cessna Citation II business aircraft with 5 persons aboard overran the runway at Key West International Airport in Key West, Florida.[11][12]
In October 2013, a Cessna 680 Citation business aircraft with 8 persons aboard overran the runway at Palm Beach International in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In January 2016, a Dassault Falcon 20 aircraft with 2 persons aboard overran the runway at Chicago Executive Airport, in Chicago, IL[13]
In October 2016, A Boeing 737 aircraft with 37 persons aboard, including Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Mike Pence, overran the runway at LaGuardia Airport, NY. [14][15][16]
In April 2017, A Cessna 750 Citation aircraft with 2 persons aboard overran the runway at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, CA
In addition, the following incidents have been described in other news outlets:
After the 8 December 2005 overshoot of Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 at Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, which is located in a heavily congested area, an EMAS was installed on Rwy 13C/31C.[17]
On 13 October 2006, New York Yankees Alex Rodriguez's private jet was brought to a halt safely by the EMAS installation at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California. The system was installed after the 2000 Southwest Airlines Flight 1455 runway overshoot that injured 43 passengers and the captain.[/quote]
Despite what Rookie might think, this is good runway
engineering.