Posted on 01/29/2018 12:38:11 PM PST by ro_dreaming
While airport terminal architecture has a solid history of style and innovation, rarely is a proposal put forth to utterly redesign the runway. But that’s precisely the aim of Henk Hesselink, a Dutch scientist working with the Netherlands Aerospace Centre.
Dubbed the “endless runway”, Hesselink’s brainchild is a 360-degree landing strip measuring more than two miles in diameter. Since airplanes would be able to approach and take off from any direction around the proposed circle, they wouldn’t have to fight against crosswinds. And three planes would be able to take off or land at the same time.
(Excerpt) Read more at curbed.com ...
As long as the pilots follow the no eye contact rule, all will be well.
From the country that gave us the worst airplane accident in history.
The runways could be banked, like Talladega Speedway or the old Nurburgring.
;-)
If you land in the Southern Hemisphere would you circle in the opposite direction?
Mobius Strip runway
Sorry... It takes a straightaway. I could see a polygon but not a circle.
Never heard of the mobius loop, huh?
Q: Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip?
A: To get to the same side.
This concept was proposed perhaps 50 years ago. It was impractical then as it is now for a myriad of reasons not the least of which are space used and noise to communities.
Yes that disease spread to Wisconsin at $1,000,000 per intersection because $100,000 traffic lights are so yesterday.
I should imagine that tetrahedral shaped runways would be a real blast.
Have multi-tiered runways. Heck, make them multi-tiered in the round runways. I mean if we are going to be ridiculous.
Probably...Coriolis is a bitch...
The idea is so radically different from norms that an iota of confusion will result in collision.
Runways have numbers on them that detail direction. Also, they typically use similar layouts. Even then, confusion has had many a planes try to land on the same space. Having a continuous circle will cause the possibility for more confusion.
The consistently level track is a good point though. Hard to make a circle that big that is completely level.
Heh, New Jersey has been busy getting rid of them.
Couldn’t you got most of the benefit of this with a series of runways in circular pattern offset by 22.5 deg. ?
All he is proposing is pouring enough concrete to have an infinite number of orientations. Don’t understand the 3 planes at a time though. If the goal is to land and take off in the ideal direction then it seems only one direction would do.
That was funny.
Sort of like NASCAR without the straightaways.
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