Circular Runway

jsmith wrote:

The theory posited in the article was that one could always land and
takeoff into the wind using a circular runway.

Well, at some point in your takeoff or landing you could be in line with the wind and
the runway at the same time, but at other points, you'd have to deal with a crosswind
component. Furthermore, that component would be changing as you rolled along.

The banked track would counter the crosswind component.

No, it would counter the tendency of the aircraft to travel in a straight line. If
the track were not banked, you'd run off the track before you got airborne.

George Patterson
Treason is ne'er successful, Sir; what then be the reason? Why, if treason
be successful, Sir, then none dare call it treason.

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 13:47:02 -0800, "Peter Duniho"
wrote:

I don't think that's what he's talking about.

Oh, I knew that, Peter. Just wanted to parade my arcane knowledge


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: -- put Cubdriver in subject line!

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Perhaps this was an April Fool's joke that Air & Space Magazine played on
its readers?

I haven't seen the magazine yet, but in my experience George Larson
takes aviation very seriously.

Well -- there was the cover with the dog flying the plane.

And the big feature about the world's ugliest aircraft...

Come to think of it, perhaps it is an April Fool edition. My
contribution is a "Soundings" about the XC-99 cargo plane finding a
new home at Wright-Patt.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: -- put Cubdriver in subject line!

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:18:52 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote in Message-Id:
:

Circular (or at least 360-degree) airfields were common at one time.
You put a stake in the center with a windsock on top. The aircraft
landing simply landed into the wind, wherever it was coming from.

Lindbergh Field in San Diego was the same in the early days.

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:18:52 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote in Message-Id:
:

Circular (or at least 360-degree) airfields were common at one time.
You put a stake in the center with a windsock on top. The aircraft
landing simply landed into the wind, wherever it was coming from.

Lindbergh Field in San Diego was the same in the early days.

All early airfields were built that way.

Cub Driver wrote in message . ..
Circular (or at least 360-degree) airfields were common at one time.
You put a stake in the center with a windsock on top. The aircraft
landing simply landed into the wind, wherever it was coming from.

Wu Chia Ba airport in Kunming used this arrangement before the
Americans arrived toward the end of 1941.


See: http://members.tripod.com/airfields_...ds_FL_JaxN.htm,
and search for "VQQ". This will show Cecil Field NAS in Jax in a WWII
aerial photo. The original circular landing area still shows.

It's a cool website in any case.

-Malcolm Teas

CD

Many years ago (1920-1930) in a land far away. Bar stories told about
aircraft operating in SA. They would land in a jungle clearing and
when ready forTO would put a stake in the center of the clearing and
tie a rope to it. They then ran the rope out to bird and looped it
around the strut (or something). Pilot held the end of the rope so it
wouldn't come loose and started to accelerate in a circle.
As he got enough speed to lift off he would let go the rope and fly
away.

If not a true story made a good one to tell at the bar.

This not a one April story.

Anyone else heard this story and can confirm it????

Big John
`````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:18:52 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote:


Circular (or at least 360-degree) airfields were common at one time.
You put a stake in the center with a windsock on top. The aircraft
landing simply landed into the wind, wherever it was coming from.

Wu Chia Ba airport in Kunming used this arrangement before the
Americans arrived toward the end of 1941.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: -- put Cubdriver in subject line!

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

If not a true story made a good one to tell at the bar

Sounds like DC Comics to me!

Not Scorchy Smith or Smilin' Jack, though. They were too realistic.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
The Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
Viva Bush! blog www.vivabush.org

Seaplane drivers can accelerate in a circle in order to get out of a small
lake. No rope to a central point is used.

Circular airfields were built to accomodate airships and blimps.
Lakehurst, NJ, where the Hindenberg disaster occured, still has a circular
field. You can see it from normal scheduled airliners traveling from DCA
to BOS as you approach the JFK VOR if you are sitting on the right of the
plane next to a window.



"Big John" wrote in message
news
CD

Many years ago (1920-1930) in a land far away. Bar stories told about
aircraft operating in SA. They would land in a jungle clearing and
when ready forTO would put a stake in the center of the clearing and
tie a rope to it. They then ran the rope out to bird and looped it
around the strut (or something). Pilot held the end of the rope so it
wouldn't come loose and started to accelerate in a circle.
As he got enough speed to lift off he would let go the rope and fly
away.

If not a true story made a good one to tell at the bar.

This not a one April story.

Anyone else heard this story and can confirm it????

Big John
`````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````

On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:18:52 -0500, Cub Driver
wrote:


Circular (or at least 360-degree) airfields were common at one time.
You put a stake in the center with a windsock on top. The aircraft
landing simply landed into the wind, wherever it was coming from.

Wu Chia Ba airport in Kunming used this arrangement before the
Americans arrived toward the end of 1941.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: -- put Cubdriver in subject line!

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

"William W. Plummer" writes:

Circular airfields were built to accomodate airships and blimps.
Lakehurst, NJ, where the Hindenberg disaster occured, still has a circular
field. You can see it from normal scheduled airliners traveling from DCA
to BOS as you approach the JFK VOR if you are sitting on the right of the
plane next to a window.

For those of us who avoid the "airline experience"...
http://mapper.acme.com/?lat=40.03651...ht=2&do t=Yes
Is that it?

--kyler