JDM, you would understand how cynical most pilots are about noise problems if you had been on the recieving end of some of the complaints.
I have had the misfortune to be threatened and verbally abused over noise complaints. People tend to put all of their feelings about noise problems onto aircraft, when often the real source of the problem is something else.
For example, we have one individual who rings up and can be very abusive whenever an a/c is percieved to have strayed from the prescribed route. Often this isn't even the case.
What makes this amusing is that this person owns a wood mill that is located 50yds from their house. Chain saws etc. going all day, but WE are a noise problem!
I don't really see what HACAN is trying to achieve, the noise abatement procedures are already amongst the strictest in the world and whilst I agree that successive Governments have lied to us all, have you ever proposed a sensible solution? A noise abatement procedure by it's very nature reduces safety margins, are you happy with that?
How many members of HACAN use Heathrow? If they do, then they should be immediately banned from the organisation as they are helping to perpetuate the problem.
You will find that most flight crew hate Heathrow as much if not more than anybody else, it is a dreadful airport to both operate from and to use as a passenger so I avoid it as much as possible.
The simple truth is that if noise is such an issue, then you move. This would be the same if a sewage plant was plonked next to you.
Over 100,000 people rely on Heathrow for work, do HACAN suggest that they should all be moved or made redundant?