Did you know that the north magnetic pole is shifting at a rate of 60km per year? Most don’t because it doesn’t affect their lives. Unfortunately for Tampa International Airport it does! They’re in the process of adjusting their runways.
It’s not a major change (renaming runways to account for the shift of Earth’s magnetic north pole in accordance to FAA regulation), but it’s enough to have the airport close certain runways for a period of time. All runways will eventually have to be closed, too, to fix the shifting issue. Flying with more delays, yes!
But all I can think about when I hear magnets and airports and aeroplanes is, well, Lost. So if this changing of the runways can prevent a Lost-type event from happening (and the ensuing blue balls of false hope and disappointment), then by all means! [Tampa Bay Online via Pop Sci]