Circular....runways?

[thibodba57 462]

Dear lord no....just no.  This is engineers run a mock without much input with the practical world.  Just looking at the design I can think of any numerous ideas that would make this more dangerous than dealing with congestion or crosswinds.

Precision approaches where you have to D/C the autopilot last second to put the aircraft in a bank to land in a circle. No thanks.

Side loading the struts every landing as there is no way to squarely load the gear this way.

You will have to have PERFECT coordination in a turn or there will be issues as well. This might not seem like it would be a problem but slipping in a turn is its natural tendency.  Just by introducing a turn to landing your requiring a correction that doesn't even exist right now. 

Extreme increase in Tail Or Pod strikes given the longer fuselages and large engine nacelles.

This list goes on and on and there's no amount of engineering voodoo that would convince me to take my life in my own hands trying to attempt this in anything except a small airplane.

[n4gix 4,947]

5 hours ago, ubersu said:

Originally proposed years ago (1930s) for cities with flat space issues.

DJ

While not the same concept as shown in the linked article, mostly circular* runways were constructed in many places here in Indiana during the WWII years for pilot training.

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/IN/Airfields_IN_N.htm

* Nota bene: they are actually octagonal, but the principle is the same.

[jagabom 21]

Little bit of ice, freezing rain, party is on.

Jim

CYWG

[HighBypass 2,339]

Wise words Chock!

Begin your take off roll at the wrong part of the circle and you might end up with a tailwind at lift off...

We initially invented aeroplanes to emulate the power of flight given to birds and other fauna. How do birds take off? OK, OK most of them can just hop, flap their wings and achieve "flying speed", but even the ones carrying out a running takeoff don't tend to flap in a curved track to get off the ground...

 

[Jethro 65]

Nooooooooooo!!! Henk NOOOOOO!!!

Henk Hesselink is a real thinker of our times, his other bright ideas include:

a.) large butterfly net
b.) a huge monkey swatting planes from the sky like King Kong
c.) flypaper sticky pad
d.) microburst trampoline

All equally as safe as the circular runway where all aircraft wreckage will naturally be cleared to the outside of the circle under centrifugal force. Airport facilities / Gates should therefore be located in the outer suburbs surrounding the airport, and closer to cemeteries so as not to waste time with undue aircraft taxi and baggage handling.

As Cole Trickle says in Days of Thunder, I'm going to the outside on turn 4, they should be gone by the time I get there.

[Chock 17,769]

The Microburst Trampoline sounds like a great idea! Well, at least it does when compared to the circular runway.

Here's another idea, and remember, it was my idea when it comes to the inevitable legal battles over patents ensue. There's no reason why take offs should not be fun:

[Matthew Kane 1,343]

4 hours ago, Chock said:

The Microburst Trampoline sounds like a great idea! Well, at least it does when compared to the circular runway.

Here's another idea, and remember, it was my idea when it comes to the inevitable legal battles over patents ensue. There's no reason why take offs should not be fun:

Magnetic or Steam Launch would be better, and I do like the loop

[Jethro 65]

Yes Alan,  the Hotwheels superloop shows a lot more promise than circular runway, nothing like a 5G rollout to wake the passengers on touchdown. I will happily step aside on the patent, but will require first option on a future "Wind Tunnel Elevator". 
Aircraft laser captured at 3000ft, enter controlled airspeed environment tunnel, wind tunnel slowed to match airspeed and weight of aircraft for gentle gate alignment, disembark passengers/freight and are transported to the ground via elevator, aircraft is launched back into the sky from opposite end. Now that is fun form both ends, landings are simple capture, and takeoff can be rocket speed or gentle launch into in any VOR. This idea is at least as intelligent as a banked circular runway.

[stans 702]

17 hours ago, Chock said:

The Microburst Trampoline sounds like a great idea! Well, at least it does when compared to the circular runway.

Here's another idea, and remember, it was my idea when it comes to the inevitable legal battles over patents ensue. There's no reason why take offs should not be fun:

LOL!!!!!!!!!

[KevinAu 441]

At first I was dismissive of this wacky idea, but the more I think of it, the more it seems like it can work.  The part that makes it more easily workable are the short, straight, tangential segments.  They will allow instrument approaches to it, and not require pilots to learn a new way of landing.  Not that landing in a turn is unworkable, as long as the radius and bank of the circular runway is built for a reasonable speed for the class of aircraft served.  And as long as pilots learn to fly their approaches using a set 'runway' speed instead of an approach speed based on their stall speed, they should be capable of landing on a circular runway.  For the pilots, the main advantage over a conventional runway would be the endless nature of the runway, making takeoff and landing overruns less of an issue.  V1 on an endless runway would be the same as Vr which could be set at V2 or even Vfs, tire limitations notwithstanding.  Aborted takeoffs would be a non issue as well since the runway is infinitely long.  For the airlines and aircraft builders, obviously the attraction would be the lifting of weight restrictions for takeoff on an endless runway.  So there are some safety, operational, and infrastructure advantages to this concept, I think.

[Murmur 3,941]

Now you can try by yourself how it is to takeoff or land from a circular runway:

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?/files/file/36798-endless-airport-circle-runway-airport-test-model/

[HiFlyer 9,358]

 

[Chock 17,769]

Watching that video, it looks like an accident waiting to happen. I can just see some 'Colgan-style' 500 hours instant Captain, who doesn't even know to not put the flaps up and not pull the stick back when stalling lol, pulling that kind of landing off perfectly in zero visibility with icing conditions.

If they ever implement that, I'm going to insist that the crew on any airliner I board comprises: Chuck Yeager in the right seat, Ace Rimmer in left, and Sully in the jumpseat...

 

[n4gix 4,947]

Never heard of Ace Rimmer, but the video was sure funny!

[jagabom 21]

On 2017-03-18 at 0:32 PM, Chock said:

The Microburst Trampoline sounds like a great idea! Well, at least it does when compared to the circular runway.

Here's another idea, and remember, it was my idea when it comes to the inevitable legal battles over patents ensue. There's no reason why take offs should not be fun:

Shoot a 747 off of that. 

Jim

CYWG