Flying Airplanes in the Panorama of the City of New York

[louiej5]

Hi there,

 

Does anyone have any images or videos (or a detailed description) of how the airplanes fly into and out of LaGuardia Airport within the "Panorama of the City of New York" at the Queens Museum? I've read vague descriptions that it uses wires and pulleys, but I'm having trouble visualising it, and I cannot find any images or videos on google or youtube.

 

The reason I ask is because I'm thinking of designing a diorama of Kowloon City, including Kai Tak Airport, on a 1:400 scale. I want the airplanes to approach, land, taxi, park, and takeoff. I don't think I can adopt Knuffingen Airport's system of rods, since that would require a groove to be cut through the apartment buildings under the flight path. So I think I'm going to have to suspend the planes using fishing lines, which I believe is a system that Knuffingen staff had considered but ultimately rejected. However, I still have a few issues I'm worried about with my system. For example: what if the airplanes swing like pendulums and look unrealistic when they fly?

 

I do have an overhead track system in mind to control the path of the airplane, but I was wondering if I could avoid reinventing the wheel and just see what the New York Panorama did for their LaGuardia airport. That way, I can decide if the New York system suits my needs or not. Are their wires conspicuous, or almost invisible? Do they also show planes taking the Expressway Visual Approach too, and how well do they simulate the airplane's banking? 

 

Obviously, I cannot travel to the US now, which is why I'm asking here.