Are runways like rusks?

I had my first rusk today. You may think this is about 41 years too late, but of course I'm talking about South African rusks, which are delicious. The great thing is you can dunk them in tea or coffee and although they soften a little,they don't then flop straight into your drink like the ubiquitous digestive or hobnob.

By coincidence, today's main excercises concerned soft-field and short-field operations. Some runways are hard and remain hard (although maybe slippery) when wet. Other runways, such as those made out of dirt or rusks can get soft and boggy when wet. Aircraft tyres can easily sink in, and so we practice techniques to land, taxi and take-off on soft ground safely.

It is also the case that rusks are small and narrow, and sometimes MAF aircraft have to land on short and narrow rusks, err,  I mean runways. Again we practice techniques to safely land in a relatively shorter distance compared to a normal landing.

My previous flying experience with good old Alpha-Whisky at the winter quagmire that is Popham airfield set me in good stead for some of this, but ANA is a big girl and takes some stopping. Please excuse me for not introducing you earlier. ANA (Anna) is the lady with whom I've been sharing these adventures. As you can see she's a generously proportioned American redhead, in her 30's. She's quite loud, especially in the mornings, and she drinks like a fish (around 60 litres an hour) but she's smooth, gentle and very forgiving!