Plane traffic

[Gaz]

Is it me or has there been many more loud planes travelling over Sydenham (Kirkdale) lately in the morning. Seemed there was one every 3 or 4 minutes this morning...

Gaz(zzzzzzzz)

[Paddy Pantsdown]

Hot days means the same planes have to put on more power and the sound carries more. So we are getting more noise from the Heathrow bound.

I've noticed in the past few weeks we have started getting a lot of outbound traffic from London City (usually 4 engine Ba146). These are flying under the Heathrow traffic and so though the 146 is a 'quiet' jet it ends up making more noise because it is lower.

Does anybody know about this new City traffic? Being at the crossroads of two airlanes (plus occasional Biggin Hill traffic and the almost nightly CP Park chopper) is cuting into our sleep patterns. Especially those that need to sleep by day.

PP

[Gaz]

Thanks for the reply Paddy - guess it doesn't help that you want the windows open in weather like this too (and the heat makes it difficult to sleep soundly).

I've just seen that there is a lot of discussion on the se23.com forum about new flight patterns being concentrated over Forest Hill (west) and so I guess I'm getting some of this.

[Greg Whitehead]

I'm with you on this one Gaz. I really feel that we're starting to get alot more instances of City airport traffic buzzing up Sydenham Road and Kirkdale on a more frequent basis. I understand that they're hardly Jumbo Jets and its a long way from being as bad as living, say, in West London with their soon to be 800,000 odd (large and loud) planes a year but it does seem to be getting alot worse.

It used to seem to me that Sundays were bad for 'City' traffic but now (as you saw Gaz) there are times that it seems like it's one a minute. I admit it's not contstant and differs by time and day but I don't remember there being as many...

Yesterdays announcement that City Airport will increase from 80,000 to 120,000 flights a year is surely only going to make things worse?

I know we've always had some of the LHR traffic turning over CP and coming in over Catford to cross over Brockley but this City Airport traffic is much more noticeable partly because they seem so low!

Or am I just in danger of becoming obsessed with a problem that isn't really there?

[BingBong]

It's Stanstead, not City Airport, that's due to increase the flights. Not in Our Back Yard!

[Greg Whitehead]

It's Stanstead, not City Airport, that's due to increase the flights. Not in Our Back Yard!

Sorry BingBong, it's not just Stanstead. It's City Airport also.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7661302.stm

[admin]

Stansted is going from 240,000 to 270,000 or thereabouts so I guess everybody has an increase.

The increase in LCY flights over SYD is very noticeable. But is it my imagination but when the (relatively) quiet LCY traffic is flying low - then the noisier LHR stuff flies higher or goes away?

Admin

[Greg Whitehead]

I'm not entirely sure about one replacing the other Admin, I'll have to pay more attention. I notice the LHR traffic more if it is a quieter time of day (late night/early morning) in the same way I notice the train horn occasionally at these times. A quick check of the London noise map however tells me we still live in a very, very quiet part of town (compare it to Central London or some other more 'desirable' postcodes and prepare to be rather shocked - it's not just road but air and rail in some cases!)

http://noisemapping.defra.gov.uk/wps/portal/noise/maps

Maybe it's just because LHR is way above the clouds as it passes overhead and City seems to just buzz above chimney-top level that we notice it more but I agree it does seem to be alot worse of late