Airport

What do pilots think of the new “circular” runway concept?

According to Quora Debate by Laurence Sizemore current Boeing 767 captain.

I cringed when I saw the simulated video of the A380 landing on the circular runway (and not only because of the gear-up approach!). It looks like a wingtip strike or a pod (engine) strike waiting to happen.

The idea might work fine when everything goes according to plan, but a runway excursion would be absolutely disastrous, as would any sort of long landing (ie: landing somewhere after the intended touch-down point).

Land too far to the inside of the circle and you drag wingtips and engine pods on the ground and risk cartwheeling to the collective death of everyone on board.

Land too far to the outside of the circle and you ‘high side’ (motorcycling term), catch the outer landing gear in the dirt, spin around and risk cartwheeling to the collective death of everyone on board.

Takeoffs are going to be interesting. One of the more difficult types of aircraft to fly is the ‘tailwheel’ design. They’re challenging to fly in part because a take-off is a three-step process whereby you first lift the tail off the ground, stabilise, and then lift the rest of the aircraft off the ground. A take off on a banked circular runway would be similarly complex: you’d need to lift the inside landing gear off the ground, stabilise, then lift the rest off the ground… and do you lift the nose gear first, or second, or when?! If you get the timing wrong, then you either drag wingtips and engine pods on the ground and risk cartwheeling to the collective death of everyone on board, or catch the outer landing gear in the dirt, spin around and risk cartwheeling to the collective death of everyone on board.

If you do take off ‘normally’, you’d achieve that by making the diameter of the circle you carve out in pitch to be less than the diameter of the banked runway, and then you’d lift off pitching up and simultaneously rolled left, you’d need a heap of opposite rudder input to counter the sideslip and yaw imposed by the roll, and the pilot flying would be very very busy while they’re very very close to the ground. If an engine quits at that point in the flight, you drag wingtips and engine pods on the ground and risk cartwheeling to the collective death of everyone on board.

I have problems with the claim that up to three aircraft could operate from the same runway at once. Again, it will work well when everything goes to plan, but on that one day when the guy behind you can’t stop in time (or doesn’t know you’re there because he can’t see you in the fog), he rolls right over the top of you to the collective death of everyone on board both aircraft. Would anyone like to try Tenerife again?

Aviation is a very risk averse business. It’s just too damned expensive to make mistakes. The circular runway concept is a lot like communism: it’s an wonderfully beautiful idea that absolutely can not work in real life!

About Author

Laurence Sizemor

Jeff Loftin, Former USAF fighter pilot, current Boeing 767 captain

and Peter Wheeler, Qualified flight instructor in Australia, NZ and UK.

you can follow him : click

Courtesy : Laurence Sizemor by Quora

Airport

Top 10 Largest Airports in the World by Size

When it comes to the world’s busiest and largest airports, size matters—not just in terms of the area they cover, but also in the volume of passengers they handle and the number of flights they accommodate.

As air travel continues to grow, airports around the globe are expanding and upgrading to meet increasing demand.

Qatar Airways Announces New Flights to Hamburg, resume services to Venice:Click
In 2024, several airports stand out for their impressive size and capacity. This article takes a closer look at these massive aviation hubs, highlighting their key features and what makes them the largest airports in the world today.

Country	Airport	Area (sq km)
Saudi Arabia	King Fahd International Airport	776
United States	Denver International Airport	135
Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur International Airport	100
Turkey	Istanbul Airport	76
China	Beijing Daxing International Airport	46
Egypt	Cairo International Airport	36
Thailand	Suvarnabhumi Airport	32
Spain	Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport	30
Canada	Edmonton International Airport (YEG)	28
Netherlands	Amsterdam Airport Schiphol	27
Australia	Brisbane International Airport	27
Germany	Frankfurt Airport	23
India	Rajiv Gandhi International Airport	22

King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia – Spanning a staggering 776 square kilometers, King Fahd International Airport is the largest airport in the world by area. Its vast expanse reflects its crucial role as a major hub in the Middle East.

Denver International Airport, United States – Covering 135 square kilometers, Denver International Airport ranks second in size. Known for its distinctive peaked roof and extensive facilities, it serves as a major gateway in North America.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia – With an area of 100 square kilometers, Kuala Lumpur International Airport is a key international hub in Southeast Asia, offering extensive services and connectivity.

Top 10 Busiest Airports in the World for 2023:Click here

Istanbul Airport, Turkey – Istanbul Airport covers 76 square kilometers. This relatively new airport has quickly become one of the largest and busiest, positioning itself as a central point for travel between Europe and Asia.

Beijing Daxing International Airport, China – Beijing Daxing International Airport, with 46 square kilometers, is one of the newest major airports, featuring an impressive design and extensive facilities to handle growing passenger traffic.