Tampa Airport: Moving magnetic poles forces runway changes

Re:Tampa Airport: Moving magnetic poles forces runway changes by bambax on Friday January 07, 2011 @02:41PM (#2080840)

The lesson here is to use names that don't carry content/meaning. A name is a pointer.

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Re:Tampa Airport: Moving magnetic poles forces runway changes by lutorm on Friday January 07, 2011 @03:43PM (#2081056)

Except that the essential description of a runway is its direction. It would be a lot more painful if you had to look up the direction of every runway.

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Re:Tampa Airport: Moving magnetic poles forces runway changes by InclinedPlane on Friday January 07, 2011 @05:08PM (#2081342)

Exactly.

Two conversations: #1 "Which runway should I land on?" "Runway Charlie." "Which one is that?" "The one on heading 180 deg."

#2 "Which runway should I land on?" "Runway 18."

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Re:Tampa Airport: Moving magnetic poles forces runway changes by chadgeidel on Friday January 07, 2011 @04:03PM (#2081114)

It's not a "name". That number is the meaning. The number represents the "points on the compass" as it were. Since the "compass" is changing, the numbers have to change.

I find it interesting that they don't use true north though.

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Re:Tampa Airport: Moving magnetic poles forces runway changes by chadgeidel on Friday January 07, 2011 @04:06PM (#2081121)

Annnd - I need to continue reading. Description why they don't use true north in comments elsewhere in this thread.

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