Round runways
 

Rebuild Brooklands! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39284294

Extensively tested in the USA in the '60s; first proposed there just after WW1

Google reveals that this subject has been well kicked-around (no pun intended) already.

Would like to see the "trials" (from a safe distance !) Any YouTube ?

Danny42C.

"Rien ne va plus ?"

Danny42C.

In Italy drivers lack of discipline using the roundabouts, somehow really scaring, circular runways is not a good idea :)

OMG ... does he not hear himself? "Aircraft can take off and land at points on this circle to make certain that they have no crosswinds and only headwinds."

Except that wind comes from a single direction at a given moment, so in that moment everyone will want to land at the same point on the circle. Not to mention, everyone will want to take off at that point in the circle to ensure no tailwinds. Or are departures to assume a particular amount of crosswind component so that arrivals can land with only headwind?

His argument on noise abatement is complete hogwash too. Just because noise is spread out, does not mean that people will suddenly accept it because it is more evenly distributed. Not to mention, winds at a particular location tend to flow in similar directions at different times of the year. Pretty sure that's why runways are position to be aligned with the primary direction(s) of the wind for a particular location. Oh wait, that means noise won't be evenly distributed, because the point on the circle that most often aligns with the winds will probably experience more use than the remainder of the circle and the houses near it will be exposed to a disproportionate amount of noise.

And finally, the whole aircraft will come and go from every direction is a completely uneducated opinion. It would work in the future, when the whole world goes to unrestricted point-to-point navigation because the aircraft all are aware of each other and capable of separating and sequencing themselves through airspace and to the circular runway.

This kind of stuff drives me crazy.

Dont think this idea will take off !

Can they make a round conveyor belt?

Circular runways: Engineer defends his proposal - BBC News

Apparently they are going to put the ILS on a railway that rotates round...

They should have a circular conveyor belt....

Seriously, though. A circular runway with random arrival and departure directions would require a huge "air exclusion zone" around the airfield, denying use of the airspace to many other users. It's designed by an engineer, I note, not a pilot or an ATCO.

If only he was a civil engineer, he would know that when you're in a hole, you stop digging ...

Ever seen a baggage carousel? ;)

Crablab your idea is pure genius, there's a place in NATS management for you.

It's not his idea, he's just taking the credit for it. So he's definitely management material. :O

Will the locomotive towing the localiser/glide-path installation be, steam, Diesel, or electrically powered?
Will it's emissions meet the current NATS 10 by 20 criteria?
Will the ILS need to be re-calibrated each time the train stops?