MMMm........HD you are, as always right on the money.
Look at the oher alternatives for going from East of London to Farnborough...
1. Go over the top at FL180+
2. Go via LAM/Stapleford/Elstree/Denham/Waltham/Blackbushe at 2.4 or below
3. Go via BIG/OCK at 2.4 or below
4. Stay in Controlled airspace at legally accepted levels?
MMMmm - me thinks that answer 4 works best!!
All weekends are spent with Single Squirrel/R22 etc legally overflying central London, mainly on pleasure flights. Concorde returned the other day with an engine out and (I AM GUESSING HERE) landed on 27R as the southern runway is still too bumpy. Did that fly over central London/populated areas?? It probably did. Why?? Because it may have been safer to do so for the aircraft.
We can't elliminate EVERY risk in flying. SIMPLE AS THAT.
SO, back to the original matter........
Capital's GA7 sits over the West End daily at 1500 and often follows the M40 to Northolt. PPL's fly over London LEGALLY at 1500 and you think that is more dangerous than F18's??
Lets not get too excited here people. As mentioned, it was legal for Liz a few weeks back, with a million people underneath!
It was controlled, it was legal - 'nuff said.