Yanks for the memory

Ah yes, there are those who go misty-eyed at the memory of the USAF and their fantastically noisy jets at Manston. It appears that the memory is selective...

In the early 1950s America was even more racially broken than it is today, and this was evident amongst their armed forces, even when abroad. On arriving in beautiful Thanet, the white air force personnel made themselves at home in Margate, away from the noise of the flightpath.

Guess where the black guys ended up...

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Comments

[Local Resident]

The airstrip was military and not privately owned in those days. We all rightly put up with the aircraft noise as we knew they were fighting a war for us and our allies freedom. Jet engine noise was still a novelty and kids like us found the fighters planes during the war years fascinating and sometimes frightening.
Today is another world completely and the airport is under private ownership (Infratil), a commercial enterprise. It is not necessary (life & death) to fly in and out during night hours and wake local residents from their sleep anymore, especially as Manston cannot even manage to attract day flights to use the airport. The local community should expect more support from the Council in keeping the peace.

[Danno, Herne Bay]

The second part of the video shows a number of large aircraft flying low over houses - presumably at Ramsgate on their landing approach. They are similar to the many huge aircraft that we have experienced over recent years flying low and noisily over Beltinge during the day in the direction of Manston.

There have also been several other noisy low flying aircraft late at night, and in the early hours, heading over our homes towards Manston Airport.

Please do not forget that we in Herne Bay and the surrounding areas are on the flight path too and our discomfort is almost as bad as those who live further along the flight path closer to the airport. It is not just Ramsgate or Thanet generally that are affected by this unwelcome disturbance and pollution - and the effect that regular night flights would have on us all would be disastrous.