The Red Sparrows are a bunch of firemen from Basingstoke in little planes made of bits of bicycle and cardboard who perform death-defying stunts with less than realistic props.
Like a tribute band, but much, much sillier.
Genius.
Fun The airport's CEO Charles Buchanan is delighted:
"Fantastic - Flybe is here to stay! This is a massive vote of confidence in Manston by the UK's number one domestic airline and confirms its commitment to Kent."
Manston Airport website
Charles Buchanan, FlyBe Manston
At first the idea of a new airport on, or even in, the Thames Estuary seemed to be just one of the Mayor of London's less amusing flights of fancy, but now the arrival of a proposal by the architect Norman Foster has given it some respectability. The idea of replacing Heathrow and moving east is not new. Forty years ago, Maplin Sands, off Essex, was held up as a possible site, but interest soon dwindled and the present proposals seem just as likely to fade when confronted by the real situation: that a new airport is both impractical and unnecessary.
Boris Island, CAA, Heathrow, Lord Foster, RSPB Plans for night flights from Manston Airport could be under threat as the Labour takes control of the council. Airport director Charles Buchanan is looking to meet with the new administration which campaigned in May's election on the promise it would oppose night flights. Mr Buchanan said:
"We are looking to meet with the new administration at the earliest opportunity and discuss the proposals we have put forward."
Despite an anti-night flight stance in its manifesto the Labour group has yet to comment on the latest proposals by Manston Airport. One Labour councillor who has spoken out against night flights is Ramsgate Mayor David Green. He said:
"The position is being looked at more or less as we speak. I can not say what it will be, it is quite difficult. We are taking time to talk to everyone involved."
Since Manston Airport submitted its proposals for an average of eight flights a night (between 11pm and 7am), many Labour councillors have been reluctant to comment on the issue through fear that any pre-determination would preclude them from voting on night flights in any future debate.
thisiskent 23rd Dec 2012
Charles Buchanan, David Green, Ramsgate Manston, Night flights, TDC A reader wrote (to the powers that be):
Dear All,
This morning at daft o'clock (21st Dec at 04:30) a noisy jet landed at Manston.
Noise Infratil, Manston, Night flights Flybe's decision makes it absolutely clear – Manston does not have the makings of a successful passenger airport.
The current owners of Manston airport (Infratil) have always pushed the story that they want Manston to be a mixed passenger and freight airport. We know that Ryanair and easyJet have both examined Manston airport carefully in the past. They both came to the same conclusion: if Manston airport was 10 miles further West, it would have a large enough catchment area to have the potential to succeed as a passenger airport.
Charles Buchanan, EasyJet, FlyBe, Ryanair Manston 
Flybe has said it will not be flying from Manston International Airport in Kent after March. The airline said it would cease operations there at the end of the winter season. Flybe launched its Manston to Edinburgh service in May 2010. Flybe spokesman Niall Duffy said:
"We tried different routes and the numbers simply weren't there. It's impossible to sustain routes without the passengers.
Unfortunately for the Manston services it was just impossible to look at those passenger numbers and think that we could sustain the kind of difficulties we were facing.
It is fair to say that Manston is one of the airports with the smaller catchment areas in the United Kingdom, and you have Gatwick not too far away."
Belfast, Charles Buchanan, Edinburgh, FlyBe, Manchester, Sandra Matthews-Marsh Manston, Night flights, TDC Here's a snippet from a recent interview with Clive Hart shortly after he managed to take leadership of the Council from Bob Bayford. The rest of the article, which you can read by clicking the link below, covers a wide range of topics of interest to Margate, Ramsgate and the rest of the Thanet.
This excerpt is about night flights, and is therefore of interest to a lot of North East Kent. I think Clive Hart is being overly cautious about the tricky question of predetermination, which is fine. What I am more concerned about is his apparent inability to deliver the whole of his party when it comes to a vote on night flights.
Clive Hart, Madeline Homer Manston, Night flights, TDC A reader writes:
Have recently become more involved in NNF's campaign. Much to digest and eventually understand. Have emailed Manston, MP/councillors about recent flights - as per your website advice.
What I don't quite understand at the moment is - when flights do come over during the restricted hours - who/which organisation has responsibility to decide if they are operating outside of the current agreement/legislation and then who/what organisation then places fines etc onto Infratil?
Thank you for your time.
SM
Hmmm... good questions, which highlight the shortcomings of the current S106 agreement between the Council and the airport.
Clive Hart, Quota, S106, Schedule Infratil, Manston, Night flights, TDC The Hollywood moguls are salivating and the sets are being built - "Thanet the Movie" is underway. All that's left is the casting.
We already have a number of front runners, as you can see below, but we would like your help with some more suggestions. You can find more pictures of TDC counsellors here, Kent councillors here and here, you can add suggestions in the comments below, and you can send us pictures (jpegs) of your suggested lookalikes here.
Please don't restrict yourselves to Councillors - every notable character in Thanet and East Kent will have a role in this blockbuster!
Cllr Clive Hart: George Clooney
Bob Bayford, Charles Buchanan, Chris Wells, Clive Hart, Jack Cohen, Sandy Ezekiel 
A controversial deal allowing Iran Air to refuel at Manston airport will come to an end, the Isle of Thanet Gazette can reveal. Airport boss Charles Buchanan said the company would not be using the airport any more, but said this had nothing to do with recent publicity over the arrangement.
Charles Buchanan, Iran Air Here's a brand new service from the nice people at NoNightFlights... As well as the easy to use Complain! page, you now have another outlet for your screams of rage, whimpers of frustration, table-thumping, etc, etc. Pop over to the Hall of Shame page and let rip...
Complaints Manston 
"May you live in interesting times" ran the old Chinese curse, and it appears that Thanet may be about to overdose on political "interest".
The local election in May left Thanet with a more-or-less hung council: 27 Conservative, 26 Labour and 3 Independents. In exchange for chairmanship of their preferred committees, the Indies backed Cllr Bayford's bid for leadership - oh well, at least it was naked self-interest, rather than anything underhand...
Birchington, Bob Bayford, Clive Hart, John Worrow, Michael Child, S106 Manston, Night flights, TDC A reader writes:
I recently was speaking with a woman and we got on to the topic of the airport, not from a political anti-airport point of view, just mums chatting at a toddler group. She told me about her washing!
Funny little burn holes in her washing whilst it hangs on the line and she asked if we thought it could be aviation fuel?
The woman who runs the toddler group who lives in Cliffsend also said she gets tiny burn holes but only if the wind is in the direction of the airport. I wonder if this is a common phenomenon or coincidence?
Any thoughts?
Manston If you hurry, you might just be in time to be the 60,000th person to view our lovely little map that shows where the TDC councillors live in relation to Manston's flight path...
Democracy Hi,
I attended your meeting at Chatham House School on Friday 25.11.11 and I was impressed to see so many like minded people ready to stand against Manston Airports plans, great meeting, great job done by all the speakers, keep up the good work.
I brought along a copy of a photo which I was asked to send to you. I live on a Mobile home park known as Smugglers Leap which is situated in a large chalk pit next to the Minster roundabout Ramsgate, this park is directly situated next to the flight path of planes coming into land from the Canterbury direction, I am supplying a photo of a 747 coming into land, the roof apex in this photo is my mobile home.
Manston, Night flights 
Sad but true. The numbers are in on this summer's Open Golf Championship at Sandwich, and they make good reading for the county. The direct economic boost and indirect benefit of TV coverage are valued at £77 million.
Each Open venue hosts the tournament about every ten years, so the once-a-decade display of supreme skill at the stick-ball-hole game works out at some £7.7 million a year of identifiable benefit to Kent.
Manston's latest night flight proposal rather optimistically assesses the airport's current contribution to the local economy at £3.8 million a year - less than half the impact of the Open even when the Open isn't on!
Golf, Paul Carter, Peter Dawson, Sandwich Manston 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...
Manston This has been on the cards for a couple of months now. Infratil has been under increasing pressure from major share-holders in New Zealand to stop wasting time and money on the wrong side of the world.
Struggling Prestwick is almost completely dependent on a single commercially ruthless customer - a foolish and vulnerable position to have got into. When 98% of your business comes from one customer, that customer can call the shots - you've lost control of your business.
Barely struggling Manston has developed a pattern of attracting flakey customers, and has now stumbled, flat-footed, into the glare of international disapproval as a result of some particularly foolish greed.
It's not surprising that the Kiwis should want to crystallise their losses, and get home. TDC would then, of course, have to rifle through Brian White's old filing cabinets looking for a very slim folder labelled "Plan B".
The time and effort spent fussing over Manston's life support sysytem would be far better spent researching and launching a viable and sustainable "economic and social engine".
Iain Cochrane, Marko Bogoievski, Prestwick, Ryanair Meeting at St Lawrence Community Centre (opposite Budgens) starting at 7pm, Friday 1st December.
Some of the No Night Flights group will be doing a short presentation and answering your questions.
Nethercourt Night flights 
