Forum Topic

Planes over Brentford

Is it me, or does anyone else think the planes are now coming over closer to Brentford when they use the north runway.We have lived here for over 25 years, and I am sure the planes have never come this close.  We are near the football ground.

Jane McKinnon ● 3624d8 Comments

It's not fuel, but it's not good eitherWhat you can sometimes see (or even smell on really still days) is the cocktail of brake dust and scuffed rubber dust from the landing gear as it is dropped for landing.If you clean your front door every week you will notice how rapidly the dirt builds up again. I compare this with my sisters house which is in a similar urban area but nowhere near a flight path. She only wipes down her paintwork once every three months.

Raymond Havelock ● 3622d

I'd agree that it is nonsense as a routine and usual practice is for planes to circle round over the sea if dumping fuel to reduce weight if they need to return to the airport soon after take-off.However, on rare occasions (2 or 3 a year perhaps) I do go outside and smell kerosene that has come from somewhere. And I do remember the moans from Syon House that they had to spend a fortune cleaning oily smuts off their big glass conservatory which they attributed to the overflying jets....

Tim Henderson ● 3623d

> At the Brentford Festival today... a Brentford Community /Green activist told me the airlines prefer to "waste fuel in this way.... to lighten the load... to alleviate damage to aircraft tyres on landing... because they are expensive to replace"  Can you believe it?No, because it's nonsense.And sadly, spouting balderdash like this only makes it easier for the powers-that-be to rubbish the more serious arguments against airport expansion.

Dave Robertson ● 3623d

I think what Jim is seeing are wing tip vortices not dumping, planes landing in early morning are usually long haul and would be practically running on vapours.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wingtip_vortices

Tony Wood ● 3623d

"At 4.30am I've seen the black plumes coming from both wings on several occasions."Have you got any photos?  Are you sure it's fuel dumping rather than a water condensation trail?

Richard Jennings ● 3623d

Of more concern is the jettison of fuel over Brentford as the planes come into land in the early mornings.At 4.30am I've seen the black plumes coming from both wings on several occasions. My complaints to Heathrow were treated with disdain!At the Brentford Festival today... a Brentford Community /Green activist told me the airlines prefer to "waste fuel in this way.... to lighten the load... to alleviate damage to aircraft tyres on landing... because they are expensive to replace"  Can you believe it?

Jim Lawes ● 3623d

I think it unlikely that they have moved from using straight-in approaches aligned with the centre of the runway (although they have recently upgraded the ILS on the northern runway and are about to do the southern runway one which may disturb normal alternation patterns over the next week).Curved approaches are on the cards to be tested sometime, but one would hope they tell us and issue formal instuctions to pilots beforehand !

Tim Henderson ● 3624d

> We have lived here for over 25 years, and I am sure the planes have never come this close.  We are near the football ground.Planes right over Brentford are nothing new.  For as long as I can remember, there have been slogans or adverts painted on the roof of the stand at Griffin Park, designed to be seen by passengers on the final approach to Heathrow.

Dave Robertson ● 3624d