End- around taxiways are safer, efficient

Do any other airports have wraparound taxiways like Victor in Atlanta? It seems like a brilliant design solution.

Wraparound, or end- around taxiways ( EATs), as they’re known in the USA, allow aircraft to taxi around the end of a runway instead of crossing it. They’re both safer, reducing the risk of runway incursions, and more efficient, letting the runways be actual runways instead of traffic intersections.

In addition to Hartsfield- Jackson in Atlanta ( ATL), you can also find them at Detroit Metro ( DTW) and Dallas- Fort Worth. DFW also has two more under construction, with the first targeted for completion by 2021 and the second to follow in 2023. ( New end- around taxiways must be preapproved by the Federal Aviation Administration.)

Some airports overseas also have them, including the ones in Amsterdam ( AMS) Frankfurt Am Main, Germany ( FRA), Barcelona ( BCN) and Milan ( MXP).

Can you be afraid of heights and still be an airline pilot? A true fear of heights could pose a problem even for airplane passengers. It would certainly be an issue for a pilot. That said, there is a difference between truly being afraid of heights and being fearful of falling, from say, the edge of a skyscraper.

I know many pilots who say they don’t like “heights” but their concern is more about feeling uncomfortable looking down from a building or other edges. However, they are comfortable when enclosed in an airplane cockpit.

You could take a flight to see how you feel and help determine if being a pilot is right for you. I wish you success.

OPTIMAL GEOMATICS, INC. Atlanta was one of the first U. S. airports to build an end- around taxiway.