# Why no more 14,000 foot B52 runway at Edmonton?



## TCBF (21 Apr 2005)

In the fifties, the Yanks put a lot of their taxpayer's dollars into the building of a huge B52/KC135 Runway at RCAF Namao.  As CFB Edmonton, it was an alternate landing site for the space shuttle.  This was a major strategic resource - I was told re-inforced concrete fourteen feet thick at the thresholds.

Then, in 1995-97, at the NW end, we built buildings to house The Strathconas, 1 CER, and 1 PPCLI.  What was the NW end of the  14,000 foot runway  is now the base parade square, and the veh compounds for the three regiments whose shiny new buildings are built half on/half off the runway.

Does anyone know why we had to ruin a major strategic resource, rather than house the regiments a few hundred metres away?


----------



## pbi (21 Apr 2005)

Because with the reduction of reliance on the manned bomber as a strategic deterrent, the US didn't need it anymore, like the other bases they closed themselves?

Cheers.


----------



## tomahawk6 (21 Apr 2005)

The large runway would also have been nice for landing large transport aircraft.


----------



## McG (21 Apr 2005)

There is still enough length to land military aircraft.


----------



## pronto (21 Apr 2005)

pbi said:
			
		

> Because with the reduction of reliance on the manned bomber as a strategic deterrent, the US didn't need it anymore, like the other bases they closed themselves?
> 
> Cheers.



Closed themselves, but left the PCBs behind for us to deal with though :rage:


----------



## Teddy Ruxpin (21 Apr 2005)

I believe the runway is closer to 7000m...and is composed of 1 m thick concrete.

The story I was told was that the buildings were put on the end of the runway to allow for a firm base for tracked vehicles and the like.  I can't confirm this, though.

There is still a lot of runway left, along with a smaller (east-west) runway.  Virtually all CF military aircraft could still be landed there.  However, when I asked (a few years ago) if the runway could be opened up to support an operation, I was told that it couldn't be.  All the lighting system and landing aids have been removed and the runway itself hasn't had any maint since it was closed (very high foreign object damage risk).  It would cost a fortune to set it up again properly, but in an emergency, I should think a CC-130 could get in during daylight.

Was closing it completely shortsighted??  You bet!


----------

