The present paper is confined to matters concerned with the requirements for landing and take-off of aircraft at land aerodromes, that is to the landing area.

In the selection of sites the questions that arise are size and over-all gradients. In development of a selected site account must be taken of directions of landing, dimensions of flightways or runways, local gradients or undulations, nature of surface. Finally, to ensure safety of flight the site must be protected by zoning.

The subsequent problems of detailed layout, of civil engineering in construction, of control and equipment, and of design of administrative and terminal buildings, though susceptible of more popular treatment, come later in sequence. My first more detailed study is therefore devoted to what may be termed the aircraft's point of view as to what it would like in order to bring in and take out its load in the most economical manner.