What is the reason for a hexagonal landing strip? (US Navy WWII era)

[-]

taint_tattoo@reddit

Haster Field, current location of Garden Grove High School.

Also, for OP: https://youtube.com/shorts/xS0o9LiX3jE

[-]

sneezinggrass@reddit (OP)

It's actually the site of Bolsa Grande HS and Garden Grove Park. Thanks for the video!

[-]

ShieldPilot@reddit

Came here to mention NRQ. Switch to satellite view: https://maps.app.goo.gl/c27yYysqdYXV6nck8?g_st=ic

[-]

storyinmemo@reddit

Most of the airfields of that era had a triangle so you were never more than 30 degrees off being direct into the wind. This mattered more for tail wheel planes than tricycles.

For newer pilots training, being no more than 15 degrees off with the six choices could be helpful.

I don't have a reference to say this airfield was for that reason, but it's my most logical guess for my level of knowledge.

[-]

Huugboy@reddit

tricycles

I know it's true, but that doesn't mean I like seeing planes referred to as tricycles.

[-]

storyinmemo@reddit

Well the real frustrating thing is that Tailwheel is Conventional.

So we're all traveling around on Unconventional landing gear.

[-]

sneezinggrass@reddit (OP)

I didn't know about the triangle, that's interesting. Thanks for your insight!

[-]

You'll see the triangle layout extremely frequently in Canada -- all of the BCATP fields built to train military pilots during WWII share this layout, and many of them are still in operation as regional airports (although usually with one or two of the runways closed). There are a lot of disused/abandoned "standard triangle" fields as well. Look at an airport like Brandon (CYBR), Yorkton (CYQV), Centralia ON (CYCE) for three examples, among dozens and dozens of them in every province.

[-]

jeffbannard@reddit

Here in Calgary near Mountain Royal University in the SW part of the city are the remains of an old triangle airstrip built before WWII - my brother lives near there and has a map from the 1930s showing it in some detail. After decommissioning it was used for many alternative uses, such as a drag strip. Lots of ghost triangular airstrips in Canada near most towns.

[-]

sourcefourmini@reddit

KBOS still has (and heavily uses) a triangular runway setup to this day! Always feels like a relic to fly into or out of, compared to the majority of commercial airports in the US that either demolished theirs or never had them.

[-]

BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit

It was so that you could always land into the wind, and then you could also work on crosswind technique with any crosswind direction and intensty you want

[-]

sneezinggrass@reddit (OP)

Do you know why a hexagon for the landing mat if they marked the runways this way? Or why not a circle?

[-]

pmcclay@reddit

I think circles were more common than hexagons. Because I've seen photos of circular pads and don't remember seeing a hexagon before.

source: random guy lives not super far from ex-Glenview NAS.

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-a-photograph-taken-at-nas-glenview-in-1948-showing-the-bases-aviation-71406497.html

but need to keep out of the 'more examples' rabbit hole.

[-]

neverbadnews@reddit

SGS (South Saint Paul, in Minnesota) is another that was circles. I'm told by the airport manager, they are because it was built as a flight training facility for the military in WWII.

[-]

_entrxpy@reddit

Well it's also easier to just track a straight line rather than a curve

[-]

BeenThereDoneThat65@reddit

The Hex gives you an idea of the cardinal headings a circle does not

[-]

sneezinggrass@reddit (OP)

Ah, that makes sense. Thank you!

[-]

SevenBlade@reddit

Not with that attitude!

[-]

JetlinerDiner@reddit

Hexagons are the bestagons.

[-]

ultanna@reddit

~ CGP Grey :)

[-]

Any_Sale2030@reddit

Ex military here. Military likes orderly geometry. Thats why you see airplanes at bases all lined up in a row making them easy pickings for an attacker to shoot every one in one pass.

[-]

MEINSHNAKE@reddit

You’re giving a bunch of low time pilots pretty expensive equipment and telling them to figure it out. Crosswind landings can come later.

[-]

Zcube73@reddit

early plans for the Pentagon ??

[-]

MajiktheBus@reddit

Ever see those figure 8 school bus races?

[-]

Bergwookie@reddit

The very first airstrips were either triangles or completely round, so you always could land and start into the wind, later on, with bigger planes and more traffic this became impractical, so most airports got strips for the main wind direction and sometimes a cross wind runway, in places with fast and frequently changing winds, you can also find three overlapping runways.

[-]

Efficient_Sky5173@reddit

Save time on approach.

[-]

Inconsequentialish@reddit

There's a WW2 era octagon in Converse, Indiana. It's all still there, but is in very rough shape, although 7/25 is open and kept up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converse_Airport

[-]

sneezinggrass@reddit (OP)

Very cool!

[-]

JeffSHauser@reddit

No crosswind issues I assume.

[-]

AutoModerator@reddit

Google is a great resource if you need assistance identifying a basic aviation item (www.google.com).

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.