Memory and noise

Memory and Noise

"Manston Airport has been there for over 100 years"

"I remember the United States Airforce and their noise never bothered me"

"Its always been there and it didn't bother me"

"it only takes 30 seconds to fly over, never bothered me"

We have heard these and more for 6 years from the pro lobby however none can actually say just why it never bothered them, yet those that live under the Heathrow flightpath have complained for years about the noise and pollution from planes flying into Heathrow.

Even Sir Roger Gale spoke in the House of Commons about the effect on his own daughter who lives in Chiswick (a distance from the runway):-

 “I am not remotely unsympathetic to the concerns expressed by colleagues representing seats in west and south London. My daughter has a home in Chiswick under the flightpath to Heathrow. I am a sufficiently infrequent overnight stayer not to have become acclimatised to the air traffic, so I understand what it means, and I also have considerable concern for the quality of the air that my six-year-old grandson, Soren, will breathe during the course of his young life.”

HOC link: dated 7/6/2018 

Airports National Policy Statement

So why is it the pro lobby have such fond memories of events that either occurred 60 to 70 years ago (The USAF were at Manston between 1950 and 1958. They actually left because of noise over Ramsgate) or more recently when Manston became an airport in 1989 when it became Kent International Airport (KIA).

As to the 1st it is extremely unlikely that noise events have been remembered properly, especially by such young individuals, what is remembered is perhaps an echo of what the actual event was and that it is fondly remembered is most likely because it was exciting for such a young mind. The fact is after 8 years of noise a deputation from local people, with the Ramsgate Mayor, went up to London to present a petition asking for the USAF to be removed because of the many noise complaints and I seriously doubt anyone is alive today that remembers that event because children didn't take part.

As to recent events, when folks say it never bothers them, the amount of air transport  movements bar 2004 and 2005 (which drove Planestation into receivership) has been so low as to be single events in themselves.

In fact if you look at the actual data from the Civil Aviation Authority for the last 30 years (fig 1) it is obvious just why it never bothered people, only two periods have produced more than 1 landing a day (2003 - 2005 and 2010-2011 with 2013 being an outrider as KLM started a twice daily Passenger route to Schiphol)

fig 1

 It is also clear that if RSP hit their DCO Capacity ceiling the level of noise and pollution will be nothing like Ramsgate has endured in the last 30 years.

If the same regime and disregard for rules as Infratil succeeds then the 20% of Cargo flights that arrived during the night then life in Ramsgate will be unbearable. The pro lobby will point to the DCO which clearly shows night flights aren't allowed however they were banned under Infratil as well yet they still happened.

Even Roger Gale, speaking in September 2001 (when his mate Tony Freudmann ran Manston), said the only way was Night Flights for cargo.