AIRCRAFT NOISE OVER BROADSTONE

At the AGM this year, there was a question raised about the amount of aircraft noise over Broadstone. To find out more about this matter, your Executive Committee asked Jeff Berryman, the Head of Air Traffic Control at Bournemouth to come and tell us more about the subject.
He started by telling us of the economic importance of the Airport, currently owned by National Express, which generates some four thousand direct jobs and affects the economic lives of a further sixteen thousand people.

Traffic

Currently the Airport handles five or six jets per day, but plans over the next ten years to increase this to fifty jets per day. In addition to the commercial traffic, the airport handles a number of military and flight refuelling operations, a number of instrument training flights and a lot of light aircraft belonging to private individuals and flying clubs. Altogether these amount to nearly 300 movements (i.e. a take off or landing) per day.

Routing

Most of the small aircraft are routed out via four visual reference points, Sandbanks, Tarrant Rushton, Stoney Cross and Hengistbury Head, and do not come very near Broadstone, but all the other types of flight may come overhead.

This is because the south side of Broadstone is situated directly in line with the main runway, and the larger planes and the instrument landing training flights will be aligning themselves with the runway at the six mile distance.

Whenever possible, flights are routed in or out over the less populated New Forest, to the East of the airport (don't move to Bransgore for peace and quiet), but at least 30% of the flights pass over Broadstone. Similarly, planes taking off to the West, are routed North of Broadstone over Merley and the Stour, until they reach 2000 feet, when they can assume their chosen course.

Training

Instrument landing in poor visibility is a full requirement of a pilot's licence. The CAA have a testing centre at Hum, and there are two Flying Schools. The training covers firstly a directional beacon - the localiser- which directs the plane along the line of the runway, and secondly the glidepath beacon, which takes the plane steadily down at a three degree angle, until the pilot can see the tarmac. This equipment can be used provided visibility does not fall below 600 Metres.

As well as the main approach, there is a stacking discipline to learn, which for Burn involves a loop to the North out over Wimborne, then curves back down to rejoin the main approach, over - You've guessed it - Broadstone.

This year has been very active in this field, as next year the test schedule is revised and training courses will be harder and more expensive. Part of the training schedule has also included the Chinook helicopters. These seem very noisy as they are restricted to fly under 500 feet, and just for good measure they have to make a test landing at the Marine's depot at Hamworthy. When posted to a location where they have to share commercial facilities, as in Kosovo, the commercial experience is invaluable.

Future

In general, whilst some types of flight may decrease in number, the Airport is expected to grow is status, and since the runway is most unlikely to be moved, Broadstone will still receive its fair share of the overflights.

On the brighter side, the recent extension to the runway length allows access by the larger and quieterjets, and in a couple of years, the use of the earlier noisy planes, such as the BAC Ill, will be discontinued.

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