Quote of the Week: "There will be the mother of all battles over Heathrow because the environmental movement sees it as a cause célèbre." anti-noise activist commenting on British government's expected announcement of approval of Heathrow Airport's third runway this week
Aviation Conspiracy Newsletter #407.........................................................................December 17, 2006 Past newsletters can be accessed at: http://pages.prodigy.net/rockaway/ACNewsmenu.htm The PASSUR airport flight tracking system at many major U.S. airports http://www.passur.com/sites.htm (you must have Java installed to view it). If you want to get the newsletter sent to you every week, sign up to AviationWatch. Bill Mulcahy rockaway@prodigy.net
Massive Heathrow Protests Expected Over New Runway !!!
As
Bill
Sees It: (Editorial) Will
Brit Government Really Go Through With Heathrow Airport Runway Approval This
Week? The British
government has been avoiding coming out directly approving a third runway for
Heathrow Airport, "may" make an announcement approving it this week. If
they do, I hope this outrage finally gets those people who were sitting on the
fence moved to activism. I remember when the American government tried to bring
in the supersonic Concorde into JFK Airport in the 1960's. There was a MASSIVE
public reaction against it. Hundreds of people got into their cars and blocked 
traffic
to the airport. The politician rats crumbled under the fear that this huge
outpouring of outrage would be turned into votes against them. This one
demonstration not only stopped massive numbers of Concordes coming to JFK but it
actually prevented no more than a handful of this environmental atrocities from
being built. If the American people can do it, so can the British. You
can be sure the planes don't go over the homes of the "nobility." Maybe
it's time THEY had a revolution!!! Rabbi
Drops Lawsuit Threat Over Sea-Tac Menorah: I see
after all the hubbub about Christmas trees being removed from Sea-Tac Airport terminal,
because of the threat of a lawsuit by a Lubavitch Rabbi, it was finally settled. The lawsuit
threat was withdrawn and the Christmas trees returned. I think some Jews have the
right to demand 
public
display of their religious symbols to counter Christmas decorations. But I also think if that is done, Christians
should also demand nativity scenes and other blatantly religious decorations be
publicly displayed at Christmastime. The more decorations and colored (not flashing) lights during the
Christmas season the better!!! As Chairman Mao said: “Let a hundred
flowers bloom, let one hundred schools of thought contend." Good luck with
competing with Santa Claus!!! What I, and many others are "offended" by is the way
American's traditional Christmas is being
eliminated and watered down by
small group of people who are obviously trying to destroy it with political
correctness and legal suits. It is they who started the "Christmas
War." Personally, I rather
see the whole airport removed with only Christmas trees and a Menorah left
standing. I'd like to see the Rabbi suing for that. It's
All Staged: New Aircraft Noise Reduction "At Its Source" Bill
Introduced: Whenever I hear the phrase "at its source" (the
aircraft only) relating
to aircraft noise, I immediately am suspicious. That's what I felt when I read
the story about a alleged noise group "Sound Initiative" which is
supporting the passage of a new aircraft noise bill in congress. I don't
trust any group that is founded 
by airport airport o.jpg){kind=logo}
perators.
Especially one that only talks about making planes quieter and carefully avoids
other things like sleep disturbing night flights and the FAA's racist, political
routing policies. Politicians like New Jersey's Sen. Lautenburg (pictured left), loves
this kind of group because it makes it "look" like they are doing
something about the aircraft noise problem, but doesn't threaten the many protected areas that
their constituents enjoy. Any kind of legislation that demands justice in
aircraft routing or night flight restrictions is strictly taboo to politicians like
Lautenburg. I see from their web site that
they have managed to lure some community anti-noise groups to join to give them
the appearance of community participation.
England:
'Eco-friendly' Labour Backs Heathrow And Stansted expansion!!! MINISTERS
are pushing ahead with plans for extra runways at Heathrow and Stansted despite
pledges to save the environment. Green campaigners and those living under the
flight paths are furious. The Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft
Noise has promised to fight "the mother of all battles on a scale not seen
since the protests against roads at Newbury and Twyford Down". The
progress report on the 2003 Aviation White Paper backs a short third runway at
Heathrow airport for 2015-20 if noise and air quality are acceptable. Stansted
in Essex will also get a second runway. The plans come despite Tony Blair and
Gordon Brown supporting measures to save the planet and experts warning about
climate change. Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander said yesterday: "The
report confirms our intention that aviation should meet its climate change
costs. At the same time, we must ensure that the UK has the airport capacity it
needs to enhance its economic performance." Heathrow would have 128 million
passengers - up from 67 million in 2005 - with another runway. Richard Dyer, of
Friends of the Earth, said: "The Government thinks that by throwing in a
few green words it can keep people quiet but it won't work. Editor's Note:
Maybe Toni Blair already has his next job as airline industry lobbyist lined up.
I wish Smirk (President Moronic Polluter) was leaving office with him. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_headline=enviro-mental-&method=full&objectid=18266555&siteid=94762-name_page.html
New
Jersey's Sen. Lautenburg Introduces An "At Its Source" Aircraft Noise
Bill: MORRISTOWN, N.J., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Neighbors of busy
airports across the country are a step closer to getting relief from aircraft
noise, based on legislation introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). In
the closing days of the 109th Congress, he sponsored the Aircraft Noise
Reduction Act of 2006, a measure that gives aircraft owners of older, noisier
Stage 2 aircraft three years to either discontinue their use or upgrade them to
meet Stage 3 standards. "Senator Lautenberg's efforts send an important
message to airports, aircraft owners and airport neighbors that the impacts of
these aircraft can no longer be tolerated," said John Lindemann, campaign
coordinator for the national organization "Sound Initiative, a Coalition
for Quieter Skies." "S.4109 lays important groundwork for this issue
to be considered when the new Congress convenes in January. Congress has an
opportunity to finish what it started when it ordered airlines to retire older,
noisier aircraft in 1990." Editor's Note: I wonder if any of
Lautenburg's friends sell "hush kits?" http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/12-14-2006/0004491571&EDATE=
Seattle, Wash.:
Christmas
Trees Back In Sea-Tac Airport!!! — The Christmas trees are
back up at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.Maintenance staff worked
overnight to restore the 14 plastic trees that had been removed during the
weekend because of a rabbi's threat to sue over the lack of a menorah in the
airport's holiday decor. Airport managers believed that if they allowed the
addition of an 8-foot-tall menorah to the display, as Seattle Rabbi Elazar
Bogomilsky had requested, they would also have to display symbols of other
religions and cultures. Airport workers didn't have time to do that during
the busy travel season, Airport Director Mark Reis said. Editor's Note:
Leave it to an airport operator to cause a national incident!!! http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4396293.html
"Titanic"
Airbus 380 May Have Fuel Tank Problems!!! WASHINGTON Federal
accident investigators and safety advocates say they are worried that the Airbus
A380 double-decker jet will be exempt from new U.S. rules designed to prevent
fuel tank explosions like the one that downed TWA Flight 800 in 1996. European
officials have said that they do not agree with fuel tank safety rules proposed
in the United States and will not make the mammoth new plane subject to them. U.S.
and European regulators on Tuesday gave Airbus approval to fly passengers on the
largest jetliner in history, but left unresolved the fuel tank issues. The U.S.
Federal Aviation Administration says it intends to release a final fuel tank
rule next year. As proposed, the rule would only apply to U.S.-registered
aircraft. If Europeans do not adopt the rule, foreign carriers would be free to
fly A380s into this country without updating the jet's fuel tanks. http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=19d50adf-45ba-4a0e-88bb-e3586b482c9a
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Important Aviation News Stories This Week
PLANE MADNESS
12 December 2006
The Evening Standard
(c) 2006 Associated Newspapers. All rights reserved
A VAST new swathe of London will be blighted by aircraft noise if, as expected,
a third Heathrow runway is given the go-ahead. The Government is expected to
approve a major expansion of the airport this week after deciding that the
economic benefits outweigh environmental concerns.
Some of the capital's most expensive neighbourhoods will be among the worst-hit
by noise.
Kensington, Chelsea, Fulham and Harrow are among the areas that will suffer from
'high' and 'very high' aircraft noise.
Noise in Chiswick, Kew, Barnes, Ealing, Wimbledon Park, Southall and Hounslow is
expected to be worse than it is now.
Tony Arbour, Conservative Assembly member for south-west London, described the
prospect of a third runway as 'appalling' and said that up to 500,000 homes in
west London would be affected.
He said: 'There was universal opposition to the fifth terminal at Heathrow and I
am now determined to work in defeating this appalling proposal, which will cause
nothing but endless misery to tens of thousands of people across south-west
London.'
Serge Lourie, the Liberal Democrat leader of Richmond council, also vowed to
fight the expansion.
He said: 'If ministers think they can force through plans for more flights,
which will bring more noise and air pollution, they are seriously out of touch.'
Environmentalists have also joined the row, saying the new runway would cause a
huge increase in pollution.
Friends of the Earth warned that CO2 emissions would rise by 40 per cent by 2017
if the runway was built, as the extra 500 daily flights would push up the
airport's annual carbon output to 21million tonnes.
Richard Dyer, aviation campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said: 'If Heathrow
is expanded, this airport alone is likely to be responsible for a large
proportion of future UK carbon dioxide emissions.'
The third runway would run parallel with the M4, north of the existing two. It
could be finished by 2015.
Other proposals contained in a leaked BAA document include a sixth terminal,
even though Terminal Five - which was only given planning permission after the
longest public inquiry in history - is still more than a year from opening.
In the document, the airport's operator also suggests ending the current policy
of alternating runway use, which was introduced so residents under the flight
paths only have to bear the noise for half the day.
'A third runway would take years to build so, in the meantime, they want to use
the existing runways to capacity,' said Steve Mayner, spokesman for the 2M
Group, a new coalition of 12 local authorities that represent two million
residents under the flight paths.
To end runway alternation, the 54-year-old Cranford Agreement, which bans
take-offs and landings to and from the east on the northern runway, protecting
residents from aircraft noise, would have to be torn up.
Mr Mayner said: 'It's the immediate threat to quality of life for everybody in
west London. It's a plague on all your houses. What's coming up is a real
battle.'
House prices will inevitably be affected by any intensification of flights but
this may come as a shock to the residents of places such as Kensington, where
some of the country's most expensive properties are located.
The Department of Transport will publish a progress report on its investigations
into plans for the third runway on Thursday.
Sources confirmed that the Government is committed to building a third runway
but only if air quality targets can be met. A final decision will be made next
year.
'There's enough noise as it is'
Chris Hutton, 29, solicitor from South Kensington: 'There's enough noise as it
is. Windsor is so noisy. If it got like that here I would consider moving to
north London to get away from it.'
Philip Bates, 26, student from South Kensington: 'I think it makes much more
sense to put a new runway at Stansted, though I know it's true that people
generally only worry about their own areas.'
Jude Baxter, 24, IT security officer from South Kensington: 'I'm not against
expanding airports but I would like to see more pollution taxes on airlines to
encourage people to think harder about whether they really need to travel.'
Ivona Acklam, 32, business analyst from Earl's Court: 'The demand is there, the
need for more flights is driven by the public. It should be spread out, though,
and not just concentrated on Heathrow.'
Chiara Caiati, 27, analyst from Kensington: 'I really don't want all those extra
flights going over my house. I enjoy the park at weekends and in evenings during
summer and love living here but the noise would spoil it.'