How big does an airport need to be?

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this. Just wasn't sure where to put it.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how much land is needed to build a decent airport? It would be in the air if I built one.

Also, it would be helpful to hear about airports in general. What are they used for? Are they helpful, necessary.

Thanks!

Hmm... I think this depends on what sort of traffic you want to support. Obviously, a 512m^2 plot wouldn't work. Depending, you'd probably get away with 1/8th or 1/4th of a sim in one place if at all possible.

I doubt I need to cite them, but go have a look at areas like Busy Ben's Vehicle Lot or Abbotts Aerodrome - these are two good examples of the kind of land area you'll likely want.

As for usage, here's the utility I see from them:

- Serve as a "familiar" setting to most people when they think planes and aircraft
- Good as a "stopping point" for Cubey Terra's tour blimp
- Allow plenty of prims on the parcel, for rezzing/selling/etc.
- For more "realistic" aircraft, you could also test taxiing speeds and takeoff/landing
- To be able to say "I have an airport."

I'd say it's worth the effort.

Pimushe Airport is 80m X 40m. Seemed like a good size.

-Ghoti

Talk to Cubey about it, he was looking for airports last time I saw him post.. Abbots Aerodrome rawks..

Awesome!!!! It took me a while to find the airport, just because of my own stupidity. I crossed the road at the landing zone and then ended up flying around a lot until I found the elevator. But my goodness what a beautiful place!!!!! It's in my Picks now!

Thanks, Ghoti! Great job!

I think maybe a groud-level sign might be in order. Or mebbe a 3D map marking out all the features on the land, at the 250m platforms (event area, sundial fountain, hot tub garden sphere), and the airport at 300m.



Thanks! Leena and I have spent alot of time designing Pimushe Pines... and of course it will probably be ever-evolving.

As for size, the Pines is over 1/3 but less than 1/2 of Pimushe, but you don't need nearly that much land for a good runway.

-Ghoti

I've got an airstrip atop my under-construction space fountain in Drawbridge (250 meters up) that measures 20 x 100 meters. It's more than long enough for even the largest aircraft, like the Terra Airlines Lodestar. The way vehicle physics work in most SL aircraft, you don't need a very long runway at all, but runways don't feel right without a little length to them.

Ghoti and Leena's airfield in Pimushe is plenty long enough to get the right feel, though. It doesn't require a whole lot of surface area to make a convincing runway. It's much more important that the runway is free of obstructions at either end. Nothing cuts a flight short like smacking into your neighbor's living room on takeoff.

If you want space for a terminal, taxiways, hangars, and other traditional trappings for an airport, you're going to use an enormous area. Abbotts is a good example of how big things can get, and an even better example is the airfield at the base of the Kazenojin beanstalk in Gray. There's a reason airfields show up well on real-world maps; they're huge. But a practical airfield for simple takeoffs and landings doesn't require much space at all in SL.

Thanks, everyone! Really good information. Exactly what I was looking for.

Those are some wonderful examples, and in addition, I have yet to see something like a full airport lounge, gift shoppe, and baggage carousel. Would purr to see this in SL!

Maybe we could have airport security, too. Anybody got a body search animation LOL?

Throwing in my two-bits, here are things I like to see in an airport:

* A runway that's long enough for planes to takeoff and land. In SL, most planes can take off in less than 20m, but I like to see one that's longer than 60m, partly just for th aesthetics. No less than 20m wide.

* Ample clearance on either side of the runway for a 30m wingspan.

* Taxiways to roll clear of the runway after you land, and enough clearance for a large plane to taxi.

* A helipad. 10m is the a fine size for most helicopters.

* Approachable from both directions. I've seen many landing strips that butt up against a building or a sim wall. It just makes it harder to use and impossible to use for a touch-and-go landing.

* Auto-return set higher than 1 minute. It's annoying to have your plane returned just after you stand up.

* A snack vendor. I get the munchies when I fly.

Hey, the Grey Field tower has a lounge and bar ... along with a classroom, two offices, and of course full controls. There's even an official channel for aircraft-to-tower communication ... though I think the tower radio is busted ...

I'll have to do some sprucing up around the runway, though.

Would you need a second airport to fly people from ground level to the airport?

Phoenixes can carry a lotta weight, maybe I could be a terminal shuttle. ^_^

'Welcome to Gray Airfield! Sim Crossing Bug-Free for [2] Days!'

Elevators work wonders. Check out the system in Pimushe.

-Ghoti

I recently turned my little home/burrow in Dusun into a double-pad Heliport. It's not much, but it works and is fun. ^.^

The in-ground floor contains my personal room and a small garage bay. And since it's group-owned land attached to a huge chunk adjacent to the North, I have a much higher prim-allowance than a normal 512 would.

Unfortunately, the pads can feel a little crampd if you don't want to overhang yer tail-rotors onto neighboring property or anything.

Heh, also take note of the small fencers lining more of the helipad-area. I've seen them on some RL off-ground helipads before, and also found a practical use for them in SL; they're handy for catching pilots in airfraft that launch their riders when they stand up. ^.^

I like these numbers. I've done several landing strips but if I were to go with a full-blown airport I'd start with 80X40.

How about this big?

Yeah, its just one runway with leeway on either side, plus the elevator to the ground in the southwest corner. If there were more to it I would want to use more space, but for the airstrip alone, it seems good.

-Ghoti

Neat!! I like that alot!

-Ghoti