737 gravel landing

Wow, and I thought C-130s and C-17s were the only austere landing vehicles of our time. That explains alot. Great Video!

I photographed this gravel-kit equipped 737-200 (LN-NPB) landing at EIDW back in 1985:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwm1049/4590428146/

awesome - thanks for sharing

I have pictures of a verrry similar 737, but with a different livery. The one i have pictures of, comes into CYUL very often.

Good info on the kit itself:

http://www.b737.org.uk/unpavedstripkit.htm

I'd be interested to see a video of that, or a similarly equipped plane, landing on gravel from the ground. I imagine that there must be quite a bit of dust and debris in the wake of such as a 737 landing.

Richard your comment on Wien Air was right on. They were the ones that pioneered the landing on unimproved strips. Before this it was aircraft such as older models like the DC-6,DC-4,DC-3,C-130 and the F-227 models to get in and out. Also mustn't forget the Lockheed Electra and the YS-11's that Reeve Aleutian Airways also flew too.

awesome video

Can later 737's (-300 up) be equipped for gravel? Just realized I've never seen one. Thanks!

Wein and Alaska had a number of there 737-200s modified for landing on gravel runways. A number of airfields in Alaska were gravel and had regular scheduled service. Some of those runs have been discontinued.

Alaska switch from the aging 737-200 equipped for gravel runways and are using modified 737-400s now. I don't know what they have done for gravel problems. Wein and Alaska used there 737-200s for both passengers and freight to those outback airstrips. I have seen a picture of Alaska's 737-400s and they too have been modified for freight and passengers. Passengers are in the back, freight in the front.

I looked up a couple of Alaska's 737-4Q8(QC)s that replaced the 737-200s. I don't see anything on the front landing gear or in front of the engines.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Alaska-Airlines/Boeing-737-4Q8%28QC%29/2071981/L/&sid=e7290feaeca75d63d0f2558f451faaef

As a former Air Traffic Controller the first thing that came to mind was how do you determine the "Breaking Action" on a gravel runway?

Years ago I went into Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians Islands flying jump seat in a BAE 146. The runway is very short and at that time the surface was volcanic rock, you come in over water, take off over water and the wind was blowing in five different directions. The aircraft had no additional equipment that I was aware of to help migrate rock damage and noise was something else. These Alaska pilots are amazing.

Flew with a some pilots from Wien Air Alaska back in the 80's. These were some of the most knowledgeable and professional pilots on earth. Their 737-200's were all equipped with gravel kits, and they routinely landed on unimproved runways all over Alaska. I believe they pioneered the proceedures shown in this video way back in the 1970's. Hats off the the fine pilots of Wien.

That looks more like crushed stone and fines than it does gravel, or what I know as gravel.