An aviation expert applied his idea of circular airport runway. This type of runway would allow a host of advantages such as less difficult maneuvers, fluid traffic and fuel economy.
The idea of a circular track placed all around an airport seems at first sight farfetched, but proves to be very ingenious in theory. The dream of Henk Hesselink and his team from the Netherlands Aerospace Center has become reality (or almost).
For two years, the researchers worked to create a circular track encircling an airport and related logistics. This 360-degree landing can surprise, but questioned by the BBC, Henk Hesselink said:
"Passengers will feel a slight turn, similar to a rotation in the air. Due to centrifugal forces, the aircraft will automatically go slower and move towards the center of the runway. "
Thus, a significant saving of fuel could be achieved, which could of course interest the airlines. It is also a question of better distributing the pollution as well as the noise nuisance imputed to the traffic of the airport. The circular track covering a distance of 3.5 km in diameter could then replace three or four long lines. This slightly inclined track will therefore use the centrifugal force to naturally slow down the aircraft.
However, this circular track evaluated for two years has remained at the stage of computer simulation. Indeed, no track of this type is currently under construction despite the prospect of benefiting from its many advantages. The reason for this lack of application in real life is its origin in air traffic legislation. You have to know that setting up this kind of track would involve rethinking air traffic control rules, a long and tedious undertaking.
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