Cleared for takeoff, taxiway alfa.

[Henning]

Holy crap! You're not kidding with the rotor wash! Everyone needs to see this video if you have regular opps next to helicopters like I do. Really didn't appreciate how much wake these have.

And that was almost 30 seconds later.

 

[tehmightypirate]

And that was almost 30 seconds later.

No kidding. How come this is hardly addressed in training? I get wake turbulence warning from ATC for a citation jet departure 3 minutes before I land but if I'm paralleling a Blackhawk helicopter in to land they've never warned me.

 

[Henning]

No kidding. How come this is hardly addressed in training? I get wake turbulence warning from ATC for a citation jet departure 3 minutes before I land but if I'm paralleling a Blackhawk helicopter in to land they've never warned me.

Because your CFI and the tower haven't been instructed on it.

 

[FlyingIsGood]

Holy crap! You're not kidding with the rotor wash! Everyone needs to see this video if you have regular opps next to helicopters like I do. Really didn't appreciate how much wake these have.

YIKES!! This is probably why I was taught to 'give it a few minutes' before even taxiing if there was any Apache activity going on. The 1-158th Apache Squadron is at KCXO and, even in a slow, rolling taxi nearby, the rotor-wash would make every tie-down flail around like a rag doll.

 

[Tarheelpilot]

I got a taxiway takeoff clearance after a king air decided to test landing distance without a gear on the only runway.

 

[Zeldman]

We were parallel elevation with them on climb out and about 800 feet at closest but above them then. Never considered roter wash to be as bad as wake turbulence. It's it something that I should pay more attention to? There's a lot of helicopter opps at the field these days.

Wake turbulence is turbulence. Rotor wash is like a micro burst and will drive you into the ground like a pile driver.

I had army guard CH-46 cross the runway in front of me at 30 feet as I was on short final once. I almost hit the ground during the go around because of the downwash. It was close enough that I recognized the A/C commander sitting in his seat watching me almost hit the rotor.

Needless to say, there was a heated, dust raising.... uh, lets call it, discussion with the aircraft commander after that.

To answer the original question, yes I have used the taxiway for a runway. I have used the ramp as a runway while on skis because all the snow had been removed from the runway. With a tower I was issued the "at own discretion".

 

[airguy]

My home field is 2,500 x 30. I am much more comfortable landing on most taxi ways.

Same here. Most taxiways look pretty generous next to my primary runway, I don't see the issue. A paved, flat, semi-straight surface is a paved, flat, semi-straight surface.

 

[BillTIZ]

Did some night currency practice with my father last night and he told me that one time a ways back the tower had closed the only runway for brief unscheduled maintenance, and rather than have him wait they cleared him to takeoff on the parallel taxiway! Anyone else ever done this?

Many many many years ago they were paving the runway at ASH (Nashua, NH). Some of the twins used the taxiway, some of us used the grass to the east of 32.

This was before the tower was open, and long before they moved the current runway to the east. The FBO was at the south end of the runway next to the fire station and there was nothing north of the tower.