Are we at the point of finding a solution so that the ambitious project of Henk Hesselink, Dutch researcher, to build circular airport runways comes to pass? Despite the positive effect on the fluidity and safety of traffic as well as on the environment, the project has been buried since 2014. A short lap around the track to understand the ins and outs of the Endless Runway.
A runway with an innovative appeal
Announcing in October 2017 a considerable increase in air traffic by 2036 (7.8 billion passengers compared to 4 billion currently), the International Air Transport Association has revived the debate on the fluidity of airports. According to Henk Hesselink, researcher a the Netherlands Aerospace Centre in the Netherlands, the solution does not involve new technologies or automation, but rather a structural change of the airport. A circular runway (3 km in diameter, 10 km circumference and 60 m wide) has advantages on several levels. The main one is that pilots could always land or take off into the wind – no more delayed or cancelled flights due to a crosswind or storm. In addition, with three to four aircraft on the runway simultaneously, the flow of traffic would be significantly improved. Moreover, in addition to being round, the runway would be inclined (30 m on the outside), thus offering a whole series of advantages: lower fuel consumption (thanks to centrifugal energy), reduced wear of the aircraft (the wheels no longer having to compensate as in a turn on flat ground), nuisance noise more oriented inward than outward. Finally, this structure would accommodate all the buildings in its centre – accessible from underground – such as the hangars, control tower and terminal. An innovation… that the European Commission esteemed at its fair value by paying assistance of 400,000 EUR. Since then the project has been buried, but for how long?
Runway paved with caveats and dreams
This idea of a circular runway seems to be difficult to put in place. First mentioned at the end of the 19th century by a Frenchman, it was revived in the 1960s by a pilot of the US Navy, R. Conrey, who filed a patent. In 2014, Henk Hesselink’s project was halted, mainly due to financing and the need to completely review piloting procedures and safety regulations. However, our Dutch researcher has not lost hope. For good reason, his various simulations testing air traffic management, infrastructure and aircraft modeling – comparing with traffic data from Charles de Gaulle airport on July 1 (8.9 million passengers) – were more than conclusive. His next step is to conduct physical tests on a car track with large drones. The idea is shared by Maud Dupeyrat (National Office for Aerospace Research and Studies in France), who believes that the circular runway could be revisited with the announced emergence of drones for delivery of goods. Unless it is to achieve environmental objectives (50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050, compared to 2005) the aeronautics sector will take this project out of the closet.
In any case, such an ambitious project moves the lines and, as Henk Hesselink says, the “final product will not be exactly as initially defined, but it contributes to bringing new ideas to aviation.” His hidden objective would then be achieved…