Aircraft traffic control board game apparatus

Claim 1

A game device for simulating aircraft traffic control between departure airports and a destination airport, comprising: 1. a planar game board having delineated thereon: a plurality of imprinted areas defining departure terminals at spaced locations adjacent the periphery of the board, parallel lines defining a straight ascent corridor from each of said departure terminals, a plurality of arcuate, concentric lines defining a plurality of circular flight routes the outermost one of which connects with each of said ascent corridors at spaced locations at the ends of said corridors remote from said departure terminals, a plurality of arcuate, concentric lines defining a plurality of descent corridors contiguous to the innermost one of said flight routes at spaced locations, transverse lines imprinted in said ascent corridors, circular flight routes, and descent corridors defining playing spaces therein, a plurality of angularly arranged straight lines defining a plurality of adjoining hexagonal playing areas within said flight routes, certain of said straight lines defining generally oval areas simulating a plurality of holding patterns at spaced locations, each of said holding patterns connecting with a different descent corridor, a plurality of additional angularly arranged straight lines defining a plurality of additional adjoining hexagonal playing areas occupying a substantial portion of the central area of said board adjoining said holding patterns, indicia defining certain of said additional hexagonal playing areas in alignment with one another in the center of said board as an instrument landing path, one of the hexagonal areas at about the midpoint of said landing path having indicia therein identifying it as an approach gate, another of said additional hexagonal playing areas in said landing path having indicia therein identifying it as an out marker, an imprinted area defining a destination aircraft terminal having parallel lines defining a landing runway in alignment with said landing path, approach gate and outer marker; 2. a plurality of playing pieces of rectangular configuration each having a silhouette of a specfic type of aircraft imprinted on the two major surfaces thereof and identification indicia distinguishing each piece from each other piece, the dimensional relation of each rectangular playing piece and the aircraft silhouette imprinted thereon to each hexagonal playing area being such as to facilitate movement of each playing piece in a random track selected by a player to another hexagonal area straight ahead of, immediately to the right of, or immediately to the left of, the direction in which the nose of the aircraft silhouette is pointed; 3. means to select by chance one of a plurality of numbers; and 4. a plurality of cards having imprinted on one surface of each varying instructions governing take-off and landing clearances.