[Closed] Why are runways flat?

LBA was never designed to be landed at.

Highest airport in the UK, innit. Someone told a Yorkshireman building it up there would save a few quids worth of fuel on takeoff. Didn't ask about coming back down.

Runways aren't flat. You'd be surprised at how hilly they actually are. Much more noticeable when in a light aircraft. Some can literally throw you into the air just like off the end of an aircraft carrier.

LBA is only 681ft high, highest licensed runway is Dunkeswell at 839ft.

Lots of runway aren’t flat, go up and down, have bumps in the middle and some are on slopes. So they are not always flat!

Some are on slopes and these need to be landed on uphill and taken off from downhill. Small planes land nicely on a hill because you basically fly up them till you touch down, slower than usual and then have the hill to slow you down. But they need a bit of practice and easier to get wrong than landing to flat. (Watch AirAmerica for some good examples). Downhill takeoffs ok, alternatively landings difficult to almost impossible, the approach angle is typically 3 degrees, can be 5 degrees, so typically any downhill slope of that or more and the aircraft is flying above and not getting much closer to the landing!

Biggest issue for all aero planes is airspeed, so getting up to that speed (or reducing from it to land) is critical - absolutely necessary, to fly or not to fly. To aid this taking off and landing into wind is important/valuable.

In a small aircraft up to 3-5knots of tailwind is not too much of an issue but above that, downwind take offs and landings become challenging: ie landing speed now at least 5knots faster. As the aircraft comes closer to the ground the tailwind will normally decrease. This has a temporary lift increasing effect due to the increase in true airspeed (inertial effect) making it more difficult to put the aircraft on the ground, which amplifies floating of the aircraft. So dramatically increasing the likeness of running off the runway. Many commercial aircraft have a max tailwind of 10knots.

and flattening half the towns after all!

Dont need it anyway. Could just go with the Kings Cross airport proposed in the 1930s.

Fun to watch landings and take offs from the ski slope that goes right past it.

Also see, Goldeneye pre-title sequence.