"Eisenhower made a design decision back when the interstate system was created to ensure that there were straights sufficient to act as jet runways in the event of a hot war."
This is a myth, though as a private pilot roads can seem awfully attractive as runways, and at my home field the only real choice if you lose your engine after T.O. is a freeway or road. But a field might be the better choice if you have the option. Powerlines, light fixtures, traffic, concrete dividers, alignment with wind, etc.
Any ol port in a storm right?
http://www.snopes.com/autos/law/airstrip.asp
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21527-2005Feb13.html
Yeah, right. As if Eisenhower was going to tell the Highway Department what he was doing.
Get real ;^>
Seriously, I know from personal sources that drills were run with a few specific sections of highway (not "one in five" as the urban leged sites have it) as disbursed runways during the "bad old days" of SAC. I've heard reports from SAC pilots whom I have had the privelage of speaking with from their time in the 50s and 60s of some very hairy tests of this concept. It apparently dates back to World War 2 and the XB-19 program. I suppose they could have been BSing me, but I don't buy it, based on other things that they've told me over the years. However, they are some very twisted people. Disciplined, but twisted (grin)
The Harrier was explicitely developed so that it could use unimproved roadways for take off and landing, primarily in Europe (they can carry more if they are "short take off" rather than "vertical take off") based on the experiences of trying to build up roadway segments that would tolerate the abuse of modern aircraft.
Ah, well, another urban legend down - I used to live near one of these "flight strips" and it was a major comfort to know it was there when my instructer yanked the @#$%# throttle for the umpteenth time...
"Eisenhower made a design decision back when the interstate system was created to ensure that there were straights sufficient to act as jet runways in the event of a hot war."
This is a myth, though as a private pilot roads can seem awfully attractive as runways, and at my home field the only real choice if you lose your engine after T.O. is a freeway or road. But a field might be the better choice if you have the option. Powerlines, light fixtures, traffic, concrete dividers, alignment with wind, etc. ""
In the western parts of the USA, power lines would not be near the problem you are worried about. Eisenhower was right, and you can land lots of planes on miles on I-80,70,15,10,90,94, and lots of others. Even USA 50 between here and Fallon, Nev has lots of places a small plane could set down.