Complaints with hint of hysteria

From the archive, first published Saturday 17th Sep 2005.

HAVING read the letter regarding Redlands airfield from K Lacey, I felt compelled to respond.

I am an assistant microlight flying instructor at Redlands and the airfield manager at Lower Upham. A few stated "facts" in the letter need correction.

1. "Microlights flying low." It is illegal to fly any aircraft within 500ft of a structure, vessel or animals unless in taking off or landing. At Redlands this air law rule is strictly adhered to.

2. "The skydiving permission clearly states that only one plane is to be used, yet several have been reported as flying at the same time". K Lacey must be counting passing aircraft as well. There has only ever been one aircraft for the parachutists at Redlands.

3. "Planes have taken off from Lower Upham Airfield and dropped skydivers over Redlands". True. Until Redlands drained their runways. It has not happened in the last two years.

4. "I witnessed the skydiving plane taking off and flying acrobatically and low around my house and over the roof of a children's nursery". An aircraft that is suited to lifting parachutists is certainly not capable of aerobatics.

There seems to be a hint of hysteria creeping in the complaints.

The folk who are complaining over the aerial activity at Redlands are now obsessed by it, and all reason has gone through the window. If one were to click a stopwatch every time the noise of the skydiving aircraft was evident (making sure it was the correct aircraft of course) it would not add up to many minutes in a week. But maybe, if you are obsessed by it, then each minute may feel like an hour.

D Pattison

Wanborough

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