Viewpoint: Questioning claims over Heathrow expansion

Aviation claims fail to fly under examination

While Keith Chapman makes a valid environmental point about the construction of a third Heathrow runway, (Viewpoint, August 22) he also is guilty of scaremongering and fantasy.

The most obvious is his assertion that at peak times, on the Flightradar app, 'you can barely see the ground for aircraft.'....which is because the representations of aircraft on the app are much bigger relative to the ground than in reality.

He then mentions close calls in aviation accidents, citing events in 1968 and 1972.

Those were well over half a century ago, and commercial aviation is unrecognisable from those days.

Indeed, the Trident crash which was caused by human performance factors would be unthinkable these days, partly because a malign operator like Stanley Key, the captain, would either be caught out by his high blood pressure or by his Trump-like crew resource management.

Systems are so far advanced as to be unrecognisable to flight crew from those long gone days, and indeed an Airbus could not stall in the way the Trident did, though Boeing are somewhat less protected.

Why he worries about an Airbus A380 crashing into Slough town centre is a mystery, since there have been no fatal accidents in that magnificent aircraft's history.

He may do better to be concerned by the 1,600 road deaths which occur annually.

Another bit of fiction is a major pilot shortage since the late 1970s.

The airline industry is indeed cyclical; at times there's a pilot shortage and often there are lots of pilots awaiting their first job.

The time from F/O to pilot in command varies according to airline.

It can be over a decade at B.A. and under five years at Ryanair.

Nonetheless, it's questionable whether a plumber would earn more than a F/O.

Despite his concern about net zero and ULEZ, it's the ultimate irony that Keith chose to admit at the start of this anti-aviation letter that ‘I grab the latest edition of the ‘Tiser and I'm off on a flight to Spain’.

Clearly he is unconcerned about HIS flight crashing in the centre of Slough and HIS contribution to carbon emissions.

Perhaps it’s just an opportunity to bash Labour politicians, or perhaps he’s trying to make us all laugh.

JAMES AIDAN

Sutton Road

Cookham

Feel free to fly the flag – but the right way up

So many people want to fly the Union Flag!

But please, the correct way to fly it is with the broad white stripe at the top of the flagpole, or as if you were going to fly from a flagpole. Upside down is disrespectful to each other and to those that have or do serve our country.

CHARLIE COOK

Twynham Road

Maidenhead