Circular Runways?
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In the spirit of the original article, the way to clearly keep the sideways force at a minimum is to have the circular runway rotating on rollers so that the aircraft can remain stationary as the wheels go faster with the runway moving underneath. No untoward forces on the landing gear then.
Oh, and no airspeed or lift either. So about as useful as the original idea.
Oh, and no airspeed or lift either. So about as useful as the original idea.
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That's easy, you just have a bunch of self-driving cars with lights on top that drive round at high speed in formation. You approach with an ever-decreasing spiral manoeuvre (aka the oozlum trick), keeping the cars in sight as you slowly descend.
Sounds legit.
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During my VFR XC nav training days around southern & eastern England I'm sure I saw many old WW11 disused airfields that had a triangular runway layout, with one side being the longest main runway. Many had been dug up, but the shadows were still visible. The // runway layout I suspect come from a social consideration; noise etc.
One thing about the layout design: At Schiphol they have 6 runways and are laid out principle on a square, 18 & 27 except for a primary takeoff runway of 24 and landing on 06. RW22 is primarily GA. They like to use 2 takeoff runways & 1 landing or vice versa depending on the schedule period; sometimes even 2 takeoff & 2 landing.
However, the worst winds come in the winter and are NW'lys, right between the runways, with challenging X-wind consequences. This often causes single runway operation each for takeoff & landing. Huge delays & cancellations. The question asked: is it better to build the // runways not on a common east/west axis but on NW/SE, or what ever the worst wind direction is, and accept a gentle crosswind in more benign conditions?
Circular runways? I get dizzy just thinking about them.
One thing about the layout design: At Schiphol they have 6 runways and are laid out principle on a square, 18 & 27 except for a primary takeoff runway of 24 and landing on 06. RW22 is primarily GA. They like to use 2 takeoff runways & 1 landing or vice versa depending on the schedule period; sometimes even 2 takeoff & 2 landing.
However, the worst winds come in the winter and are NW'lys, right between the runways, with challenging X-wind consequences. This often causes single runway operation each for takeoff & landing. Huge delays & cancellations. The question asked: is it better to build the // runways not on a common east/west axis but on NW/SE, or what ever the worst wind direction is, and accept a gentle crosswind in more benign conditions?
Circular runways? I get dizzy just thinking about them.
Last edited by RAT 5; 18th Mar 2017 at 16:02.
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It's the 1st April, bloody hell, it's come around again so quickly!
Makes the untried and untested concept of simulataneous take offs and landings on an extended 10L/27R at LHR (Jock Lowe's proposal to the Airport Commission) look emminently sensible..........
CDG!
It was at the time. Problem was that there was no concept of future-proofing or accounting for the fact that aviation would eventually take off big time.
Yet midfield terminals are fashionable at present!
Arrrgh, how do you do a go-around?
Boris Island?
Will circular runways ever take off?
Think again: Will circular runways ever take off? - BBC News
Think again: Will circular runways ever take off? - BBC News
But I thought they already had then at < insert that airport that annoys you>
No, I could never forget LHR. Putting the terminal buildings in the centre. What a clever idea. What could possibly go wrong with that?
Yet midfield terminals are fashionable at present!
Great, no crosswind.
Ah, bit of a crosswind.
Aaaaaagh, crosswind is out of limits.
Well, take off again then!!
Can't, we've got a tailwind!!!
Ah, bit of a crosswind.
Aaaaaagh, crosswind is out of limits.
Well, take off again then!!
Can't, we've got a tailwind!!!
Maybe we should propose a big floating airport in the sea. Like a 3km long aircraft carrier with two parallel runways 1.5 km apart. Kind of like Heathrow at Sea.
Landside access is a bit of an issue through.
Landside access is a bit of an issue through.
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I get dizzy just thinking about this. Brooklands used to be an aerodrome. It is near-ish to London. It has a banking. Did they close and dismantle it too early? What could have been.
Wouldn't you use both anticlockwise and clockwise runways if you had a circular airport? You could then have 2 active runways that were into the wind. So long as they were long enough, you would have room to abort a take-off before you came into conflict with the opposing runway.
My general feeling is that when clever people suggest something that seems to be stupid, it's generally worth giving some unbiased consideration. My problem with the proposal so far is that I haven't seen enough detail about it so far to have any inkling as to how it's actually proposed it should work.
My general feeling is that when clever people suggest something that seems to be stupid, it's generally worth giving some unbiased consideration. My problem with the proposal so far is that I haven't seen enough detail about it so far to have any inkling as to how it's actually proposed it should work.
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Circular Runway proposed
Think again: Will circular runways ever take off? - BBC News
The runway would be banked with the outer edge higher than the lower side.
The runway would be banked with the outer edge higher than the lower side.
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Here's the specific document dealing with whether a plane could land and takeoff on such a runway - and how the runway would be banked.
http://www.endlessrunway-project.eu/...ft-aspects.pdf
The key problem I see is in the landing. You would be landing on the inside of a bowl near just below the rim. If you ever went a little long or short on your approach, forget about it. You need to bank you plane as you clear the rim and then land exactly as you become tangent to you "center line". If you need to land a couple of hundred meters late, your choices are a go-around or trying to follow the curve and bank of the "center line".
Their document is very light on the problems of the approach to landing. But they do say that if you do it, the acceleration forces will not upset the passengers.
Yeeehaaa!
http://www.endlessrunway-project.eu/...ft-aspects.pdf
The key problem I see is in the landing. You would be landing on the inside of a bowl near just below the rim. If you ever went a little long or short on your approach, forget about it. You need to bank you plane as you clear the rim and then land exactly as you become tangent to you "center line". If you need to land a couple of hundred meters late, your choices are a go-around or trying to follow the curve and bank of the "center line".
Their document is very light on the problems of the approach to landing. But they do say that if you do it, the acceleration forces will not upset the passengers.
Yeeehaaa!
Last edited by .Scott; 5th Apr 2017 at 11:39. Reason: added missing link
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Luton airport would have confounded even the circular runway on Monday this week. The wind was being reported throughout the day as "varying from 120 to 240 degrees"!
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http://www.endlessrunway-project.eu/...ft-aspects.pdf
