A380 Continues To Pose Challenges For Heathrow

[nigelb]

I found this article in Aviation Week interesting.

http://tinyurl.com/lpyh8zg

Nigel²

[DaveB]

Thanks for posting that Nige.. an interesting article

ATB
DaveB

[Dev One]

Maybe Boris is right then to push for a new airport rather than bodge a 1940 airfield or two?
Keith

[511Flyer]

Farnborough?

[Dev One]

Not sure about that either, back in the '50's Blackbushe was nominated as the second London Airport, but apart from the stupid fog test which supposedly made Gatwick superior, I believe ATC were concerned about airways overlap.
Keith

[SkippyBing]

Farnborough?

Making Farnborough an A380 hub would make the airspace round London a complete no go area for GA, plus you'd have to massively improve the infrastructure and transport links.

[511Flyer]

I'm not suggesting that Farnborough be made an A380 hub. Maybe if some of the smaller aircraft flying short routes were moved out, there would be a lot more airspace and ground space at Heathrow.

I also realise that Farnborough is already a very busy airport these days, with corporate jets and air taxis for so called "celebrities"

The M3 motorway is very close, and a short link across open ground would be feasible. Also, any new or expanded airport, would need huge infrastructure changes.

I remember as a young lad going down the A30 with my Dad, and we had to wait while an aircraft, it may have been a Viking, taxied across the road at Blackbushe Airport.

This was very much a tongue in cheek suggestion, but I believe every alternative should be looked at. Anything to stop expansion of Heathrow which would, in my opinion, be devastating for the area.

D.

[Vancouver]

Much of Essex could be ploughed asunder and made into an airport, it would be doing the world a favour. Seriously though, there was such a plan yonks ago (1930's??) in the area known as Hainault in East London which is very flat. Of course London has grown somewhat since then. so I nominate Basildon instead.

[Dev One]

511 flyer: Yes it would probably have been a Viking crossing over the A30, possibly Eagle or Orion in the later days. If you were lucky it might even have been my fathers Proctor which he hangared that side when working for Eagle and later on Orion. Not sure if Eagle didn't have DC6's?
Keith

[Chris558]

Bedford (ex RAE) airfield was once suggested, although maybe a bit far from London?

Older members might remember plans to build an airport north of Aylesbury in the early '70s, which would have annihilated a few villages.