Floating airport
Encyclopedia
A floating airport is an airport built and situated on a very large floating structure (VLFS) located many miles out at sea utilizing a flotation type of device or devices such as Pneumatic Stabilized Platform (PSP) technology.
As the population increases and land becomes more expensive and scarce, very large floating structures (VLFS) such as floating airports could help solve land use
, pollution
and aircraft noise
issues.
gave one of his last interviews in which he made the case for floating airports in mid-Atlantic; he called them Seadromes as a solution to economical trans-Atlantic passenger flights.
Since little of the ocean's surface is currently being used for human activity, growth and alterations in configuration would be relatively easy to achieve with minimal impact to the environment or to local residents who would utilize the airport. Water taxi
s or other high speed surface vessels would be a part of an offshore mass transit system that could connect the floating airport to coastal communities and minimize traffic issues.
A floating structure, such as a floating airport, is theorised to have less impact on the environment than the land-based alternative. It would not require much, if any, dredging or moving of mountains or clearing of green space and the floating structure provides a reef
-like environment conducive to marine life. In theory, wave energy could be harnessed, using the structure to convert waves into energy to help sustain the energy needs of the airport.
sponsored the construction of Mega-Float, a 1000 metre floating runway in Tokyo Bay
. After conducting several real aircraft landings, the Ministry concluded that floating runways' hydro-elastic response would not affect aircraft operations, including precision instrument approaches in a protected waterway such as a large bay. The structure has been dismantled and is no longer in use.
The Pneumatic Stabilized Platform (PSP) was proposed as a means for constructing a new floating airport for San Diego in the Pacific Ocean
, at least three miles off the tip of Point Loma. However, this proposed design was rejected in October, 2003 due to very high cost, the difficulty in accessing such an airport, the difficulty in transporting jet fuel, electricity, water, and gas to the structure, failure to address security concerns such as a bomb blast, inadequate room for high-speed exits and taxiways, and environmental concerns.
As the population increases and land becomes more expensive and scarce, very large floating structures (VLFS) such as floating airports could help solve land use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
, pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
and aircraft noise
Aircraft noise
Aircraft noise is noise pollution produced by any aircraft or its components, during various phases of a flight: on the ground while parked such as auxiliary power units, while taxiing, on run-up from propeller and jet exhaust, during take off, underneath and lateral to departure and arrival paths,...
issues.
Early History
The first discussion of a floating airport was for trans-Atlantic flights. At that time a passenger aircraft capable of making the trip could be built but because of the massive need for fuel for the flight, it had a limited payload. An article appeared in January 1930 issue of Popular Mechanics in which a model of a floating airport located in the Atlantic was proposed. To make safe flight possible with the aviation technology of that time, it called for eight such airports in the Atlantic. But unlike future floating airport ideas which were free floating, this 1930 concept had a floating airport platform, but with stabilizer legs which prevent the flight deck from pitching and rolling, similar in concept to some of today's off shore oil rigs. The cost of establishing eight such floating airports in 1930 was estimated at approximately $100,000 dollars The idea of floating airports was forgotten until in 1935 the famous French aviation pilot and builder BleriotLouis Blériot
Louis Charles Joseph Blériot was a French aviator, inventor and engineer. In 1909 he completed the first flight across a large body of water in a heavier-than-air craft, when he crossed the English Channel. For this achievement, he received a prize of £1,000...
gave one of his last interviews in which he made the case for floating airports in mid-Atlantic; he called them Seadromes as a solution to economical trans-Atlantic passenger flights.
Description
In theory, issues and problems of land-based airports could be minimized by locating airports several miles off the coast. Takeoffs and landings would be over water, not over populated areas, thereby eliminating noise pollution and reducing risks of aircraft crashes to the land-locked population.Since little of the ocean's surface is currently being used for human activity, growth and alterations in configuration would be relatively easy to achieve with minimal impact to the environment or to local residents who would utilize the airport. Water taxi
Water taxi
A water taxi or water bus, also known as a commuter boat, is a watercraft used to provide public transport, usually but not always in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on demand to many locations, operating in a similar...
s or other high speed surface vessels would be a part of an offshore mass transit system that could connect the floating airport to coastal communities and minimize traffic issues.
A floating structure, such as a floating airport, is theorised to have less impact on the environment than the land-based alternative. It would not require much, if any, dredging or moving of mountains or clearing of green space and the floating structure provides a reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
-like environment conducive to marine life. In theory, wave energy could be harnessed, using the structure to convert waves into energy to help sustain the energy needs of the airport.
Modern Floating airport projects
In 2000, the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and TransportMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan)
The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government. It is responsible for one-third of all the laws and orders in Japan and the largest Japanese ministry in terms of employees, as well as the second-largest organ of the Japanese government after the Ministry of Defense...
sponsored the construction of Mega-Float, a 1000 metre floating runway in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. After conducting several real aircraft landings, the Ministry concluded that floating runways' hydro-elastic response would not affect aircraft operations, including precision instrument approaches in a protected waterway such as a large bay. The structure has been dismantled and is no longer in use.
The Pneumatic Stabilized Platform (PSP) was proposed as a means for constructing a new floating airport for San Diego in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, at least three miles off the tip of Point Loma. However, this proposed design was rejected in October, 2003 due to very high cost, the difficulty in accessing such an airport, the difficulty in transporting jet fuel, electricity, water, and gas to the structure, failure to address security concerns such as a bomb blast, inadequate room for high-speed exits and taxiways, and environmental concerns.
External links
- Center for Contemporary Conflict - "The Atlantis Garrison: A Comprehensive, Cost Effective Cargo and Port Security Strategy" by Dr. Michael J. Hillyard(PSP / Floating Airport technology could be used for Cost Effective Cargo & Port Security)
- September 1996 -"Floating Airports: Wave of the Future"
- November 18, 1999 by Michael McCabe, SF Chronicle Staff Writer "Planes would land on floating runways built on S.F. Bay"
- Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique "Floatport: a floating solution to the San Diego airport's environmental problems" Auteur(s)/Author(s)BLOOD H.; INNIS D., Float Inc., San Diego CA, ETATS-UNIS
- San Diego Union Tribune - SignOnSanDiego.com "Floating airport proposal resurfaces"
- Jim Bell - Ecological Designer "Airport: Thinking Outside the Box"
- 9/26/2005 USAToday.com "Today in the Sky: Will San Diego build an airport in the ocean?" by Ben Mutzabaugh
- San Diego CityBEAT, "The sinking of the San Diego floating airport proposal" by D.A. Kolodenko