I'd be interested to see a video of that, or a similarly equipped plane, landing on gravel from the ground. I imagine that there must be quite a bit of dust and debris in the wake of such as a 737 landing.
Richard your comment on Wien Air was right on. They were the ones that pioneered the landing on unimproved strips. Before this it was aircraft such as older models like the DC-6,DC-4,DC-3,C-130 and the F-227 models to get in and out. Also mustn't forget the Lockheed Electra and the YS-11's that Reeve Aleutian Airways also flew too.
Wein and Alaska had a number of there 737-200s modified for landing on gravel runways. A number of airfields in Alaska were gravel and had regular scheduled service. Some of those runs have been discontinued.
Alaska switch from the aging 737-200 equipped for gravel runways and are using modified 737-400s now. I don't know what they have done for gravel problems. Wein and Alaska used there 737-200s for both passengers and freight to those outback airstrips. I have seen a picture of Alaska's 737-400s and they too have been modified for freight and passengers. Passengers are in the back, freight in the front.
Years ago I went into Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians Islands flying jump seat in a BAE 146. The runway is very short and at that time the surface was volcanic rock, you come in over water, take off over water and the wind was blowing in five different directions. The aircraft had no additional equipment that I was aware of to help migrate rock damage and noise was something else. These Alaska pilots are amazing.
some of the guys from Wien came down to Washington DC to start up Presidential Airways in 1985. Most names I can't remember, but a few were burned into my brain. Dennis Anderson, Herman,Ubelacker, Winkler, are just a few that taught me more about flying a 737 in bad weather than I thought imaginable. Absolutley true that many before them paved the way in prop driven equipment, but the guys listed above, and many that I don't know made it possible.
Flew with a some pilots from Wien Air Alaska back in the 80's. These were some of the most knowledgeable and professional pilots on earth. Their 737-200's were all equipped with gravel kits, and they routinely landed on unimproved runways all over Alaska. I believe they pioneered the proceedures shown in this video way back in the 1970's. Hats off the the fine pilots of Wien.
