Yes, I do know what VSTOL is and that Harriers can land and take off like other fixed wing aircraft. I've also spent a lot of time in ATC towers watching them. They still cause a great deal of damage (conventional or vertical) and all it takes is one rock to ground them. It happens all the time.
There is no reason for it to be unable to take off from or land on a highway conventionally other than the state of maintenance of the average highway (stresses, cracks, rocks, other debris) and the front landing gear (they don't call it the widowmaker for nothing-I know, not the main reason for the name, but true nonetheless).
A conventional landing or take off on a highway may be within the operational envelope, but only just barely and under either strictly controlled or emergency conditions. I can't think of a pilot who would do it even then.
I don't know much about the steel mesh. I think it would to eliminate the problem with the thrusters kicking up all the debris on a vert., but using it would require a controlled situation. I don't think that is what was being discussed.
A Harrier can't land on a highway either. They already blow huge chunks out of the special landing pads they use. Try landing one on a US highway (or almost any road for that matter), and you'll have a plane that can't get back up because it a)tore up the whole area around it and b)in the process of tearing up all that asphalt and/or concrete, it managed to also put a few rather significant holes in it's self.
Then again, IIRC, about 1/2 the Harriers are down again, so maybe they shouldn't be a consideration anyway.:)
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Yes, I do know what VSTOL is and that Harriers can land and take off like other fixed wing aircraft. I've also spent a lot of time in ATC towers watching them. They still cause a great deal of damage (conventional or vertical) and all it takes is one rock to ground them. It happens all the time.
There is no reason for it to be unable to take off from or land on a highway conventionally other than the state of maintenance of the average highway (stresses, cracks, rocks, other debris) and the front landing gear (they don't call it the widowmaker for nothing-I know, not the main reason for the name, but true nonetheless).
A conventional landing or take off on a highway may be within the operational envelope, but only just barely and under either strictly controlled or emergency conditions. I can't think of a pilot who would do it even then.
I don't know much about the steel mesh. I think it would to eliminate the problem with the thrusters kicking up all the debris on a vert., but using it would require a controlled situation. I don't think that is what was being discussed.
A Harrier can't land on a highway either. They already blow huge chunks out of the special landing pads they use. Try landing one on a US highway (or almost any road for that matter), and you'll have a plane that can't get back up because it a)tore up the whole area around it and b)in the process of tearing up all that asphalt and/or concrete, it managed to also put a few rather significant holes in it's self.
:)
Then again, IIRC, about 1/2 the Harriers are down again, so maybe they shouldn't be a consideration anyway.