flight paths over london
I am not a pilot and apologise if my questions are simplistic.
I have lived near Fulham Broadway, in south west London, for many years.
1. For the first time I have noticed planes overhead. Have flight paths changed?
2. Web Trak, the web site which displays planes landing and taking off over London, shows that planes always meet at two points: over Wandsworth Bridge, for the southern runway, and over Fulham Broadway, for Heathrow's northern runway, as they make their final approaches to the airport. Web Trak shows that planes then always follow exactly the same route west to Heathrow. Is that correct? From the ground it looks like planes fly at different heights and follow different routes. Are flight paths over this part of London like motorway lanes rather than the narrow corridors shown on Web Trak? In other words, do planes can stray several miles either side of the centre line shown by Web Trak? (I appreciate that I am straying into highly technical areas here.)
3. Planes over Fulham and Wandsworth are higher than they are over Richmond yet sound much louder. Is there any reason for that? Or is it my imagination?
I hope someone can explain, in lay language.
Thanks in advance..