| Topic: | Re:All Day Flights ‘Worse Than Third Runway’ | |
| Posted by: | Richard Jennings | |
| Date/Time: | 22/10/08 22:43:00 |
| "But could the runways run on easterlies more than they do? There must be days when the winds are very slack when it would be an option...." Yes, it could be an option, but it would actually worsen the impact of noise over West London. Since 1962 the policy has been Westerly Preference, which means that if the east-west component of the wind is from the west, or (subject to good weather conditions) of less than 5 knots from the east, then planes will land over London, heading west. In other words, planes will land over London even if there is a slight tailwind. The reason for the Westerly Preference is that noise on take-off is louder and more intrusive for people on the ground than noise on landing, and hence take-offs over West London are avoided whenever it's safe to do so. A CAA technical report last year* indicated that westerly preference was still valid in order to minimise noise and air pollution in West London generally. Hounslow and Ealing have both told the DfT that they favour the continuation of westerly preference. * http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/1653/ERCD0705.pdf |