Lack of aircraft overhead

[thirdcrank]

Talking of an ill-wind, this morning I was on grandad duty and took the opportunity to try to amuse my grandchildren with a hot air balloon. It went up a treat but the faint breeze blew it in line with the sun, so after it reached a couple of hundred feet we couldn't see it.

[hubgearfreak]

a lack of coffee being imported would be very very serious...

i imagine and hope that unperishables such as tea and coffee aren't flown in

[patricktaylor]

The whole thing is OTT.

[hubgearfreak]

The whole thing is OTT.

which bit, the putting safety first or having a discussion about enjoying the quiet??

[Velorum]

I live under the Heathrow flight path - about 40 miles out though so they arent low - you cant usualy hear them in doors but can whilst in the garden. The silence and lack of large jets & vapour trails is oddly eerie but I woudnt mind getting used to it.

Little chance of that though - it will all be back to normal soon I suppose.

[GrahamNR17]

I bet none of it will make us truly realise that reliance on imports for life's basics isn't a good thing. How long before people complain they can't get strawberries? How long before they whimper like buffoons that lettuces are 3 quid each? How long before they moan about the price of bread... and pork... and etc etc

Still, as long as we continue to pay farmers to not farm it'll all be fine

[johnmac]

About half a million people are suffering massive inconvenience stuck in the wrong country and I'm seriously worried about my job. But so long as you selfish buggers are enjoying the lack of contrails and noise, that's alright then

[jan19]

But so long as you selfish buggers are enjoying the lack of contrails and noise, that's alright then

I don't think there's a contradiction between being concerned about those stuck far from home, or people finding the produce they rely on being unable to leave their home country and enjoying the lack of noise from planes. It is very peaceful here today - I'd never realised just how much noise the planes make. Of course its a serious problem and hopefully things will return to normal soon (I have a daughter due to fly to Madrid next week) but in the meantime those of us on flight paths surely cannot be blamed for enjoying the quiet?

(and before anyone says "you knew you were on a flight path when you bought your house" - err, no, we didn't . Biggin Hill has expanded expedentially since we got here and without the efforts of Bromley Council to block expansion would be taking quite big jets by now. The only thing stopping them is a very poor A road being the only access to the airport)

As regards the coffee - well yes I know it probably comes by ship. My thought processes went from perishable Fairtrade produce to something I'd really miss (but could no doubt live without )

Strawberries? The very best (our Kentish ones) will be with you in June . Worth waiting for.

Jan

[johnmac]

those of us on flight paths surely cannot be blamed for enjoying the quiet?

Of course not, but I hope you get the noise back before I get a P45.

[kwackers]

About half a million people are suffering massive inconvenience stuck in the wrong country and I'm seriously worried about my job. But so long as you selfish buggers are enjoying the lack of contrails and noise, that's alright then

Of course nothing selfish about continual expansion of airports and traffic despite opposition just so people can have cheap travel and out of season/foreign food whilst squandering enormous resources in an industry which doesn't even pay duty on fuel.

I honestly hope you don't lose your job, but everything has a cost and only very rarely benefits everyone.

[patricktaylor]

The whole thing is OTT.

which bit, the putting safety first or having a discussion about enjoying the quiet??

The bit where a blanket directive gets issued that nothing can move over all Europe for several days. That's a huge amount of power. I live not far from Manchester Airport and after five days there's nothing to be seen of the dust that was promised for our car windscreens. It's hard to believe this is purely about safety. It's probably more about power, like when tens of millions were needlessly wasted on superfluous swine flu vaccines.

[kwackers]

The bit where a blanket directive gets issued that nothing can move over all Europe for several days. That's a huge amount of power. I live not far from Manchester Airport and after five days there's nothing to be seen of the dust that was promised for our car windscreens. It's hard to believe this is purely about safety. It's probably more about power, like when tens of millions were needlessly wasted on superfluous swine flu vaccines.

Over cautious? Perhaps, but I doubt NATS issued this directive just to demonstrate their power...

[jan19]

I live not far from Manchester Airport and after five days there's nothing to be seen of the dust that was promised for our car windscreens

Our Focus is covered with fine dust - first noticed yesterday. I took the Fiesta to Sainsbury's yesterday and got it washed there and its still clean today.

Jan

[hubgearfreak]

The bit where a blanket directive gets issued that nothing can move over all Europe for several days.

the putting safety first bit then

[thirdcrank]

Over-cautios or not, having listened to Baron Adonis on the news this eveing, I think we are about to see a burst of expediency.