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Circular Runways: Engineer Defends His Proposal

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday April 22 2017, @07:44PM   Printer-friendly
from the roundabouts-for-airplanes dept.

tangomargarine writes:

BBC News has a follow-up article to the circular airport runway proposal:

Last month we published a video arguing the case for circular runways at airports, as part of a series called World Hacks. It took off and went viral. The video has had more than 36 million views on Facebook and generated heated debate on social media - including within the aviation community. Many people are sceptical about the concept.

So we decided to hand-pick some of the top concerns and put them straight to the man proposing the idea: Dutch engineer Henk Hesselink. This is what he had to say.

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 4, Informative) by gringer on Sunday April 23 2017, @03:23AM (1 child)

    by gringer (962) on Sunday April 23 2017, @03:23AM (#498155)
    Wings nearly hitting the tarmac
    The bank angle is designed such that even the most constrained aircraft (Boeing 747 and Airbus A380) will be able to land; there is less margin for error than is currently the case. Pilots will need automated support for take-off and landing.
    Rakeoffs that didn't go to plan
    As there is no end to the runway, a starting aircraft can keep rolling and come to a stop in a safer way than is currently the case.
    Can the ILS (Instrument Landing System) cope with a circular approach?
    Either we put a simple form of ILS on each direction of the runway, or we can install a movable ILS-system that will move around the runway, for example on a rail-track . It is a bit far-fetched, I know.
    Ice and rain will reduce the centrifugal force which circular runways rely on, increasing the stopping distance. What if three airliners are landing, something goes wrong and they abort landings?
    We have designed a system where the air traffic controller is supported by a 'circular' planning tool.
    Stalling speeds while the aircraft is banking
    Take-off and landing run will increase because of this and the time that an aircraft spends on the runway will be about five to ten seconds longer.
    what would happen in the event of an emergency if a plane slipped off the runway?
    The width of the runway has been extended by another 20 meters for safety.
    --
    Ask me about Sequencing DNA in front of Linus Torvalds [youtube.com]
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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Sunday April 23 2017, @05:47AM

    by bob_super (1357) on Sunday April 23 2017, @05:47AM (#498181)

    My question was what happens when a gust of wind puts you fifty or a hundred yards short or long (not a problem if your runway is straight), missing the sweet spot for your landing speed.

    If he doesn't address that, he can take his round thing and go home.