Xīn lóng International Airport - Phase 2

Since I moved into the new Yesterday's Airlines hangar my work on and in the design section of the hangar has been limited. Now however I have reorganised the airport diorama space again and it is time for some expansion at Xin Long. Phase 2 and 3 are now in the pipeline. Phase 2 sees a doubling of the airport's real estate and the addition of taxiways and a runway.

The original diorama measures only 120x60cm (3x2ft) due to the original limitations of the space it had at the original Yesterday's Airlines site. That was just big enough for two short piers and some taxiways. In fact when I've designed airport models I've usually avoided adding runways as they simply take up so much space when they are made correctly.

Without meaning to poo on anyone else's model airports I find most runways made with dioramas to be massively unrealistic. There are three major failings I see reproduced, which all relate to the space issue. I understand it but would rather the airport was represented more realistically to stop it looking like a toy. The issues I see are:

• Double-ended runways that are far too short
  
• Runways directly next to aprons with no taxiways
• Runways that do not have suitable separation from taxiway spaces

Phase 2 of Xin Long is to add some runway and taxiway space to give the whole airfield a sense of more room and allow for a wider range of photographic options. To that end I have purchased another 120x60cm piece of MDF board to fit next to the existing piece. Even with this space I can't fully recreate a proper runway layout.

There simply isn't enough room to have two taxiways full length between the runway and the terminal as you'd find at most actual airports. I'll have to settle for two for some of the width and one at the left. Due to the length of the pier there also isn't enough room for the beginning of the runway - with holding areas etc for waiting aircraft. So I will have a stretch of mid-length runway rather than either of the ends. These are simply the facts I have to live with to get it looking at all realistic.

I can at least provide the correct sort of separation distance between the runway and taxiway, which is much wider than between two taxiways. I also can design to accommodate the A380. To makeup for the lack of a runway start point I have instead designed in a mid-runway crossing point plus a single high-speed runway exit. Incidentally in the above pictures you will notice a third wooden board. This was going to be another extension but has since been shelved in favour of something far grander!

Unlike designing the terminal spaces this runway addition should only take a few days to complete - in fact as I write this painting has already begun. The redesign of my airport spaces means that Xin Long now has a new location for display also. It is now up against the wall giving me much more room to maneuver. Below is how it looked last week. Stay tuned for more updates and expansion at Xin Long.