Airports without designated runway exits?

sba55

sba55

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sba55
So far, I've been to two airports that have have no designated runway exits - it's just all concrete next to the runway so you can turn off wherever you want. Most recently, I was at Santa Monica, which has such a layout. It reminded me of Oshkosh because tower told everyone after landing to "make a left turnoff anywhere, it's all paved". Good thing, too, because I hadn't paid attention to the diagram, and couldn't figure out why there were no runway exits :D (this was at night)

Personally, I find those airports to be confusing. Does anybody know why they were built that way?


-Felix
 
El Monte (EMT) was that way too... Maybe Joe has an idea why? I found it a tad confusing at first too.
 
That's really bizarre, in Santa Monica, there are marked entrances, but no exits. Satellite photo shows a plane exiting the runway in the middle, off the concrete.

Bizarre indeed.
 
Maybe because it would minimize the amount of time on the runway because you
wouldn't have to taxi down the runway to a taxiway to exit the runway?
 
sba55 said:
So far, I've been to two airports that have have no designated runway exits - it's just all concrete next to the runway so you can turn off wherever you want. Most recently, I was at Santa Monica, which has such a layout. It reminded me of Oshkosh because tower told everyone after landing to "make a left turnoff anywhere, it's all paved". Good thing, too, because I hadn't paid attention to the diagram, and couldn't figure out why there were no runway exits :D (this was at night)

Personally, I find those airports to be confusing. Does anybody know why they were built that way?


-Felix
Click to expand...
Just a guess -- former military?
 
Mayor's brother had the concrete contract??? :goofy:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
El Monte (EMT) was that way too... Maybe Joe has an idea why? I found it a tad confusing at first too.
Click to expand...
Nope. I've never heard a reason why. I'll ask some of the old timers when I'm there today, see if someone remembers.

One time the airport management considered painting green patches on the turnout area with exits painted on to make it easier for people landing there the first time.

Bob Noel said:
Maybe because it would minimize the amount of time on the runway because you
wouldn't have to taxi down the runway to a taxiway to exit the runway?
Click to expand...
It is even better than that when you are used to it because you don't have to slow down (much) to exit. It's like having continuous high speed turnoffs. When it's busy, people land, get the plane under control, and angle off the runway while they slow down enough to turn.

Just for the record if you look at these runways on Google Earth you see there are some painted hold short lines at the ends that take you across the turnout area and up to the runway, and double yellow lines around the rest of the turn out area. If you are exiting the runway you are expected to hold short of the double yellow lines but cross the hold short line and hold on the taxiway.

Joe
 
Areeda said:
It's like having continuous high speed turnoffs. When it's busy, people land, get the plane under control, and angle off the runway while they slow down enough to turn.

Joe
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Not necessarily in that order, but it still works ;)
 
AirBaker said:
What about runway lights? Are there any at SMO?
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There are. I guess they're pretty level with the ground so that you can taxi over them. But that was yet another concern I had and why I didn't want to turn off the runway right away. I wish they'd just stick with the standard airport layout...
 
Turlock CA is that way. O15

All though the pavement between the taxiway and the runway is not in great shape, you can still taxi on it.
 
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