If you put an airport at the magnetic North Pole, what would the
runways be numbered?

Hello (again!) 4103-ga,

You certainly do ask the most interesting questions.

As you probably know, runways are numbered according to the compass
heading an airplane would be going to on takeoff or landing --
specifically, the compass heading divided by 10.  Runways can have two
numbers, and letters if there is more than one runway.

"How do pilots know what runway to use?"
EAA (Experiment Aircraft Association) Chapter 838
http://www.eaa838.org/teachcards/runway.htm

"GPS Instrument Test at Bankstown Airport" (last revised July 2, 1998)
[under "Runway Numbering"]
Bankstown and Environs Airport Resistance
http://members.optushome.com.au/bearave/gpslowfly_m.htm

A discussion on the aus.aviation newsgroup considers the possibilites
that a runway right at the North Pole would be numbered 18/18, 36/36,
or something else.  I find message 8 of the thread (by N.C.C.) most
convincing: "At the Mag N Pole, you would have to have them as 36/36,
because at the
threshold of each runway, they would be pointing 360 degrees.
therefore all threshold's would be labelled 36."

"Lame Question", discussion on <aus.aviation> (Dec 17-25, 1988)
Google Groups
http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&threadm=75a24r%2481e%241%40s3000-01.magna.com.au

The numbering of any other runways at such an airport, and the letter
designations that might be appended to the numbers, would depend on
the orientations and number of those runways.

Keep those great questions coming!

- justaskscott-ga


Search terms used -

on Google: various combinations of forms of the words "runway" and
"numbering", individually or as phrases

on Google Groups: "runway 18 18" (my initial guess as to the numbering
at the Magnetic North Pole)

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Request for Answer Clarification by 4103-ga on 01 Apr 2003 09:10 PST

Having identically numbered runways does not compute, as it would put
aircraft landing from opposite directions on a collision course.  I
wonder if there is an airport in Canada near magnetic north?

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Clarification of Answer by justaskscott-ga on 01 Apr 2003 09:15 PST

I think that it does not compute because the numbering  system was not
designed to handle a runway right at the magnetic North Pole.  If the
runway was located even a very short distance from the magnetic North
Pole (and did not actually cross over the Pole), it would have normal
designations.  (Of course, I'm ignoring the problem that the magnetic
North Pole moves over time, but that's a subject for another question,
I think.)

Put a Post-It Note on the monitor not to fly there.