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KOAK - Oakland International Airport - Runway Number Changes
A nice newspaper article on why they changed the Runway designations at KOAK. (www.insidebayarea.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
I read some where recently that earth's magnetism is changing direction, slowly to turn by 180 degrees.
And all designating numbers may have to be reversed.
This may an advance exercise.
Though that phenomenon will take about a million years to happen .
ha ha
;p
And all designating numbers may have to be reversed.
This may an advance exercise.
Though that phenomenon will take about a million years to happen .
ha ha
;p
Just an idle question: Why bother?
Aside from "tradition", "we've always done it this way", or "metric over my dead body", isn't the runway designation basically an agreed-upon name to separate it from other runways? While it does convey some information, accuracy is +/- 5 deg and changing. Northern Canadian airports are numbered from true North (Eg Alert CYLT 05T/23T - of course it is difficult to maintain the numbers on the gravel & ice runway).
Aside from politics, is there a reason to renumber? If so, would there be reasons not to switch to True bearing if you were going to change anyway?
Aside from "tradition", "we've always done it this way", or "metric over my dead body", isn't the runway designation basically an agreed-upon name to separate it from other runways? While it does convey some information, accuracy is +/- 5 deg and changing. Northern Canadian airports are numbered from true North (Eg Alert CYLT 05T/23T - of course it is difficult to maintain the numbers on the gravel & ice runway).
Aside from politics, is there a reason to renumber? If so, would there be reasons not to switch to True bearing if you were going to change anyway?
Runways are numbered for their magnetic heading so pilots can reference there instrumentation in the cockpit to the runway itself. when you're trying to be very accurate as you often need to be in order to miss building, terrain, and other traffic it makes sense to change the runway numbers to match the world itself as closely as possible.
So, since the actual heading is rounded to the nearest 10 deg, +/- 5 degrees is close enough for government work?
For some reason that reminds me of the adage "the most dangerous weapon in the US Army's arsenal is a green 2nd lt. with a compass".
;-)
For some reason that reminds me of the adage "the most dangerous weapon in the US Army's arsenal is a green 2nd lt. with a compass".
;-)
It is not so easy to find Santa's facilities anymore because magnetic north has been cruising south at an ever increasing rate. The regional deviation is also jiggling about more actively than in the memorable past. Geologists tell me the magnetic field has shifted suddenly North to South in the past. I am a firm believer than anyone that uses GPS to navigate should also have mastered chronometer, compass, and sextant prior to touching tiller or stick.
I can't imagine how much white runway paint will be needed if the N on my compass points South during my lifetime.
I can't imagine how much white runway paint will be needed if the N on my compass points South during my lifetime.
If the pole flips neatly, then just use the "S" end of the needle. However, when it does flip, it probably won't be in quite the same place, and we'll have bigger worries. When it doesn't really count, my Davis Mark III is close enough for marine work.
Unlike the OC Register story on John Wayne, the Oakland Tribune listed the from and to runway numbers.