Flight changes

SIR, — Re your story headlined Last call for flights (Herts Advertiser, May 8) on the proposed new Luton flightpath for easterly take-offs which then turn back westwards down the Chilterns and which Cllr Judy Shardlow, in defending Wheathampstead from o

SIR, - Re your story headlined "Last call for flights" (Herts Advertiser, May 8) on the proposed new Luton flightpath for easterly take-offs which then turn back westwards down the Chilterns and which Cllr Judy Shardlow, in defending Wheathampstead from overflights, seems to think would be worse for Southdown and should be opposed.

The current route is already bad in the Southdown area of Harpenden - I've had a noisy procession of ex-Luton planes east-west over here the last few days (along with northbound planes from Heathrow higher up, and helicopters, of course).

Indeed published radar tracks show the Harpenden area largely obliterated by Luton planes under such conditions.

The proposal is to move the route southwards - south-east of Wheathampstead over Nomansland, and south of Redbourn - with the north boundary of the 90 per cent swathe crossing the A1081 at Ayers End Lane. Most then would be south of Harpenden and north of St Albans though with the possibility, unlikely according to National Air Traffic Services (NATS), of some being vectored as now over Harpenden.

I suggested to Cllr Shardlow at a public meeting she'd have more success asking that the new route be tweaked to the south east of Wheathampstead than opposing it wholesale - when we'd be as now.

Much of the problem is seemingly due to a relatively few people flying a great deal more. I personally wish they'd be less restless for all our sakes.

JOHN DAVIS,

LADACAN (Luton and District Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise).