AVIATION: Saucer Terminal

When the $120 million Terminal City at New York’s Idlewild Airport is completed in 1960, none of its structures will be as startling as the saucerlike oval sheltering Pan American World Airways’ passengers and planes. In plans for Pan Am’s $8.000,000 jet-age terminal, announced last week, the chief feature is a four-acre cantilever roof of prestressed concrete that extends 110 ft. over the aircraft parking apron. Protected by the overhanging roof, travelers will board their planes directly from second-floor waiting rooms along level gangplanks 10 ft. above the ground. Incoming passengers who do not have to go through customs will get their baggage within five minutes from a speedy conveyer belt.

The terminal will admit travelers through an air curtain instead of doors, provide plenty of seats (500 compared to La Guardia’s 358) and check-in counters (48 within 40 ft. of the entrance). It will be able to handle up to 1,800 cars an hour, a fully loaded 160-passenger jet airliner every 15 minutes.