It is a rather unusual idea, but an engineer has come up with a proposal for a circular runway.
It sounds mad compared with how we do things now, but you have to give the chap credit for thinking outside the box!
There are also some good reasons why it could work.
Airports with straight runways need a lot of space so a circular runway would dramatically reduce this.
The brains behind the idea – Henk Hesselink – also believes that a circular runway would produce less fuel and noise.
The runway would be banked to nullify the fact that the wing tips would be closer to the ground on a circular runway and up to three aircraft at a time could take off.
Botched landings or take-offs could affect the rest of aircraft in a circular runway, but this is no different to how things are now.
A safety distance would need to be created between aircraft on a circular runway for if there are any failed take offs.
Mr Hesselink has even touted the idea of building offices and parking spots underneath the runway. This could provide heat to warm the runway during icy or wet weather conditions.
Of course, it would be harder for pilots to land on a circular runway that was on a bank, but pilots have plenty of training as it is, and I’m sure they would be able to learn to land on a circular runway just as they know how to land on a straight one now.
Obviously there would be a massive cost element to this, but it is an idea worth exploring.
You have to applaud the ambition and sheer ingenuity of the idea in itself, so I take my hat off to Mr Hesselink.
We are a long way off this becoming a reality, but this idea is one that could really take off.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-39643292
http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/17/circular-runways-are-being-researched-to-save-space-at-airports-6515326/