It is the first time that a military aircraft has touched down on American civilian roads.
Residents in the northern part of Michigan’s south peninsula are used to seeing low flying military jets occasionally, but they rarely get this low. A pair of aircraft belonging to the Michigan Air National Guard arrived in the northeast section of the state on August 5 and took off. This is the first time that such military activity has been seen on a public highway.
The historic landing was captured by the 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard. It is located at Selfridge Air National Guard Base northeast Detroit. MLive.com reports that four A-10 Thunderbolt II strike aircraft and two C-146 cargo planes used a stretch M-32 near Alpena to train. The highway was closed for five hours due to the exercise. This is part of the annual Northern Strike training mission. However, aircraft have never landed in public roads before.
They never touched down on American roads. A-10s from Michigan Air National Guard participated at a similar exercise in Estonia in 2018. Similar exercises have been conducted by other countries over the years. Legend has it that the U.S. highway system was designed with straight sections in order to allow aircraft to be accommodated in case of war. While there are many straightaways on American roads that could do this, the idea of designing roads with such an intention is just an urban legend.
Although it may seem simple, landing on a stretch road can be quite difficult for pilots. Pilots at airports are familiar with specific procedures and reference points for entering the air traffic pattern, including circling and touching down. All runway markings are the same at airports. Runways are usually wider than two-lane highways such as M-32. These exercises give pilots the opportunity to practice in unfamiliar situations, which could be useful during emergencies.