Foam landings

I watched a documentary the other night on channel five called "dangerous flights" or something like that. On it they showed a LOT airliner landing wheels up on a foam strip.

Now this got me thinking. When I joined the RAF there were two RAF airfields with the capability to make a foam strip; Manston and Leeming. Now IIRC they lost the capability in the early eighties.

Now a few questions. Were they the only two in the UK? And why only them? Im surprised there wasnt an airfield in Scotland with the capability. Why was it done away with? Cost is one possibilty Im thinking of. And I dont suppose anyones got any pictures of the kit that was used?

I seem to remember Lossiemouth had the kit in the mid 1970s when it was an MDA.

Simple question "Were foam landings effective?". There were some instances where the aircraft missed the foamed area altogether.

In a similar vein remember discussing with a CAA Ops Inspector in the early 1990's, the requirement for a manned/fully equipped fire fighting vehicle (LWB Landrover with foam capability) to be available on a small airfield during periods of light aircraft flying training (PPL). He said that he could not recall an instance when occupants of a PPL training aircraft had been rescued alive from a post crash fire, but that lack of the capability may not look good at a Coroner's inquest.

Wildenrath in the 1970s was a master diversion airfield, with a foaming capability.

I remember that sometime between 1974 and 1977 the whole station, or so it appeared, turned out to watch the laying of foam for a Buccaneer that could not get a green light for the nosewheel. The bow wave through the foam was quite spectacular. Fortunately the cause of the problem was a faulty switch and there was no damage to the crew or aircraft.

Graham

I had just arrived at RAF Gaydon in Febuary 1959 when Victor XA 933 made a nightime wheels-up landing onto an ad hoc foam layer put down by a Pyrene Mk 6. Spectacular spark show. The aircraft was ground down to the main fuselage longerons (wiped away the radome, scanner and bomb doors) but the aircraft was rebuilt by an HP CWP and flew again.

Wildenrath definitely had a foam laying system. About 1967/8 a Canberra with a nose wheel problem landed in the foam and at the last minute the pilot lowered the nose of the aircraft and it came to a halt safely and not much damage to the aircraft.

I remember the Nimrod using the foam at Leeming .
Others plus some photos on this thread over on PPRuNe ;
www.pprune.org/military-aviation/500597-foam-carpets.html

mbriscoe wrote:

A private pilot was told it would cost him £400 to land on foam at Manston so he landed wheels up at Biggin Hill

[h=1]Why pilot decided to belly-land[/h] The Guardian (1959-2003) [London (UK)] 04 Aug 1970: 5.

All Air Traffic Controllers had strict instructions NOT to mention how much the foam carpet would cost unless the pilot specifically asked.