Triangular layout - tradition, m'lud
In the '40s, the triangular layout was "standard issue" design at the Ministry for Aeroplanes, because tailwheeled aircraft (and their pilots) preferred taking off and landing as nearly into wind as possible - a sensible policy, specially as British manufacturers and/or operators were to go on thinking in terms of "a little wheel at the back" (think Viking, Tudor and Hastings) for quite some time. The tricycle types of the era, like the DC-4 and Constellation, less sensitive to cross-winds, were probably not even considered, even though they were clearly "the wave of the future" - touch of NIH, or just ignorance ?
But who on earth was responsible for siting the terminals in the middle - apart from the wooden huts beside the A4 while the "magnificent" buildings were erected ...
Even though I was still in my teens at the time (but an ardent subscriber to aviation magazines for years) I thought then that the decision was "odd", but also realised that making Gatwick, with its train connection, the Airport for London would mean having a big civil aerodrome in SURREY would just "not be on" - better to disturb the proles in the far west of London ...
Last edited by Jig Peter; 23rd Apr 2011 at 17:19.
Reason: add the "tubby DC-3" and last sentence