Posted on 01/06/2011 8:52:44 AM PST by TaraP
The airport has closed its primary runway until Jan. 13 to repaint the numeric designators at each end and change taxiway signage to account for the shift in location of the Earth's magnetic north pole.
The closure of the west parallel runway will result in more activity on the east parallel runway and more noise for residential areas of South Tampa.
The busiest runway will be re-designated 19R/1L on aviation charts. It's been 18R/36L, indicating its alignment along the 180-degree approach from the north and the 360-degree approach from the south.
Later this month, the airport's east parallel runway and the seldom used east-west runway will be closed to change signage to their new designations.
The Federal Aviation Administration required the runway designation change to account for what a National Geographic News report described as a gradual shift of the Earth's magnetic pole at nearly 40 miles a year toward Russia because of magnetic changes in the core of the planet.
Bush’s Fault!
The poles shift continuously...This makes no sense...
I remember when the Tampa airport only had one little building and you had to walk outside to your plane.
Russia is stealing the North Pole?
I saw this story over at godlikeproductions and didn’t believe it. I guess it is true. Wow.
I thought those designations would be using geographical north, not magnetic north, anyway.
They probably do it only once every certain numbers of years, instead of changing it minutely every day.
Putin has a magnetic personality.
Probably for the compasses.
They have to close the runway for more than a week to repaint the numbers on it?
Is that union labor? Or government regulations?
True. It should also be noted that the speed of the shift isn’t constant. Some years its faster and other years there is little movement.
Seems to me it would make more sense to orient runways based on the prevailing winds, especially with larger aircraft. However, that may not be possible with busy, multiple runway airfields.
They (Jeppesen et al) may have to reprint a bunch of charts too.
That could explain it alright.
This is an excerpt of a longer video - he produced this to highlight this one part.
Chief NOAA scientist “The North Pole is moving rapidly” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOwPvlZqInE
We never could trust ‘em. ;-)
Whoa...not only will Sarah Palin see Russia from her backyard...she’ll be there before you know it
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