Aircraft
Mark asks:
Have planes been rerouted over Greenwich? I can't recall so much traffic and noise.
The Phantom replies:
I don't know about any rerouting of aeroplanes, but a friend of mine who flys helicopters tells me that this area is where they are held in a holding pattern before they're allowed to fly over Central London, which is why we get so many helicopters, chinooks etc.
There could be a little more traffic due to that crash in Heathrow a week or so ago. One of the bays is, I believe, out of action, which means more circling for waiting aircraft.
Have planes been rerouted over Greenwich? I can't recall so much traffic and noise.
The Phantom replies:
I don't know about any rerouting of aeroplanes, but a friend of mine who flys helicopters tells me that this area is where they are held in a holding pattern before they're allowed to fly over Central London, which is why we get so many helicopters, chinooks etc.
There could be a little more traffic due to that crash in Heathrow a week or so ago. One of the bays is, I believe, out of action, which means more circling for waiting aircraft.
Labels: Ask The Phantom
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
13:10
11 Comments:
Gor blimey! Don't get me started on this one. If you stand on Blackheath of a dark, cloudless night you will see the quite distressing sight of what is London's air madness.
A very large proportion of Heathrow's traffic is coralled in from all directions and lined up over the Greenwich/Blackheath/Shooters Hill area for the final approach to Heathrow which is some 16 miles to the West. Looking out to the North East you will the planes enroute to or from Stanstead while to the South there's all the Blackheath traffic.
It's no exaggeration to say that last night as I was on the Heath I could see the navigation lights of over 30 aircraft near and far.
Certainly traffic gets noisier in windy weather such as we've had to day. Wind direction on occasion might necessitate more flights coming from the East and over our heads - that's been the case today I expect. Flights, in this weather, also seem to fly in at lower altitudes and its likely that engine noise and whine will increase as pilots have to use more power and thrust to maintain control against the strong winds.
For the very keen observers/complainers more concrete can be gained from the following sites:
Heathrow Protestors - hacan.org.uk
caa.co.uk - Civil Aviation Authority
Blackheathen
Apologies ... some self-corrections:
you will (see) the planes
to the South there's all the (Gatwick) traffic
BTW, Heathrow traffic our side of town will increase (I am told) on weekends when the Queen is at Windsor as they don't like to spoil her p&q! So that's NAFF OFF! to the rest of us then.
Blackheathen
If it's true about planes rerouting when the Queen's in Windsor that is one of the most depressing things I have ever heard? It is 2008 for gods sake! Why are we rerouting air traffic over 8 million people because the queen is on one location rather than another! What is your policy on swearing on here TGP? I have found it very hard to write this without resorting to it!!! :-)
I'm not so sure about the Queen at Windsor thing... Planes usually want to take off and land flying into the wind. So most of the time, with the prevailing wind being from the west, they stack over London and take off flying over Windsor.
I'm sure that the wind has a lot more to do with where the planes fly than where the Queen is.
However I do know someone who works for air traffic control so I'll have a word with him.
there has definately been an increase in helicopters over the last couple of weeks in Greenwich - I've had to look out the window a couple of times to check they are not landing in the garden cause they are so loud!
Currently they shift the Heathrow approach pattern over SE London at the weekends in order to give West London some respite - that's for all the people who live over there, not just her Maj!
That'll all change if BAA gets approval for "mixed-mode" operation at Heathrow. Then we'll be getting flights coming over all the time!
Whatever you think about the Heathrow expansion plans it's worth registering your views with the public consultation which closes at the end of this month. The HACAN ClearSkies website has more details.
Heathrow Public Consultation
It's pretty hard to escape the Heathrow flight path in most parts of London. Clapham, Highgate and numerous other places all suffer as much if not more than Greenwich. That said, I always feel disappointed when I see Greenwich from the air since I know it is going to take at least 2 hours to get home which at that point is only 100s of metres below!
... not to mention Richmond, the Greenwich of the southwest, which is marred by almost constant aircraft noise. God forbid it get as bad as that in Greenwich.
Most irksome I find are the early morning flights which probably impact more on the Blackheath and South side of the region. These are for the main part the long haul South East Asian flights coming in from Singapore and Bangkok. Their route brings them diagonally across North Europe and they hit the Kent coast finally breaking the London peace from the ridiculously early time of 4.45am onwards and following in 7/10 intervals. The planes are usually heavily laden B747s and that first flight of the day strikes when a majority of people are in deep sleep.
If you check out the HNAC site there is a document there on how aircraft noise is measured by the environmental agencies and it is lamentable. For example, they would never take readings at this time as it is not deemed to be a peak or nuisance time!!!!
Trust me, a lumbering b***y big jumbo at before 5 in the morning does not tiptoe into Heathrow having slipped off its shoes at the coast.
When will our beloved government finally accept the fact that the liberty of businesses to expand must be tempered by their impact on our daily lives. There is no Heathrow MUST be allowed to grow unchecked (or its the poor house for us all!! Cap'n Mainwaring!!).
The flying day has never been longer or busier and the notion of further and earlier/later flights must be vociferously resisted!
Blackheathen
The Blackheath Society are campaigning on this and have drafted a letter for residents to use if they wish to object(responses required by February 27th).
The Society claims that the net effect of the proposals would be aircraft flying virtually overhead in Blackheath and Greenwich, one every 80 seconds or so, constantly from about 6am to 11pm.
From the BAA Heathrow noise website, you can track historical (ie > 24 hours old) flights at http://lhr.webtrak-lochard.com/template/index.html. Zoom out and Blackheath (and the Blackwall Tunnel!) is on the eastern extreme of the zone covered.
Kind of interesting (assuming you're not directly under the flightpath in Hounslow) to see just how many planes are flying over our heads, and how they all line up from various directions on their approach to Heathrow.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home