Originally Posted by
EatMyPropwash
extremely rare, but it's possible. Ever seen a 747-4 takeoff and/or land in 2,500ft.? You would in Afghanistan. They use a short field technique for takeoff and landing. When my student told me the technique to get out of dangerous warzone type places I was pretty impressed and 800k airplane can takeoff/land in that short of a distance...
a short distance for a 747, even empty with fumes at landing would be 4500-5000' feet..... now laden it with cargo and reserve fuel, so say (620-630K landing weight), and you'll need about 10,000' of runway ... try it in 7500 or so, and you'll be there for a while replacing 16 tires..
your student was on crack when they hold you this story, or maybe they fly a C17.