Manston's 2012 schedule

Just to let you know what's coming, here's a timetable that Manston can start operating the day after TDC accepts their proposed night flying policy. 

Currently, daytime flying at the airport is completely free of restrictions regarding the numbers and noisiness of aircraft. Manston's new policy turns night into day. The first half-hour of night, and the last hour of night, would be as free of restrictions as the daytime.

The only restrictions would apply between 2330 and 0600, i.e. 11:30pm and 6am - highlighted in pink below. This would be the only period during which aircraft would be counted, or their noisiness contribute to the proposed quota.

They estimate an average of 1.8 flights a night in this period. They are proposing an upper limit of 659 flights in this period, with a total QC Rating (the points-based noise scale) of 1,593. As you will see from the timetable, this still allows for a lot of noisy aircraft throughout the week. Every week. This will not be the occasional late plane straggling in - this will be a schedule.

Manston also estimate an average of 3.2 flights a night before and after the newly-shortened "night" time. I've put these in purely for the sake of illustration. In practice, there will be no limit on the number of planes that can take off and land between 2300-2330 and 0600-0700.

Comments

[Mrs Gabriel]

Thankyou for the illustrative schedule. Visualising aspects of the effects of night flights and considering the impact on the population's health is vital for clearer communications.

Some really useful bed-time reading (a few nice diagrams too) is http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/43316/E92845.pdf

[Mrs Gabriel]

Tonight whilst celebrating mass at 6-6.30pm on All Saints Day, a time to remember the already departed, the silences were broken by the repeated sound of a 747 sweeping over the East Cliff in Ramsgate doing circuits into Manston. I could feel the future of silent nights, because of the probable roar of night flights, being a thing departed, deceased, defunct, R.I.P. (pun intended) too! Jesus may well resign over this matter!!