LHR is still on easterly operations! Appears to have been so for most of the year.
Quote: "Surely there would be issues with planning as Stanwell is in Surrey, not Hillingdon like the rest of the airport."
Doesn't this get treated as "infrastructure of national significance" and get fast-tracked planning? If not we've got another 50 years of enquiries and litigation.
Quote: "It looks to me like that proposal to the SW would need a runway with a WNW/ESE alignment to fit it in (avoiding the cargo area), which would mean the westerly departure track would go straight across those for 27L and R."
If it isn't parallel, there's no point!
Quote: "You must be looking at a different map from mine.
Even if a runway was pushed as far south as possible, i.e. right up to the northern edge of the reservoirs, it would still point directly at T4 assuming it was oriented 09/27, as it would need to be."
OK, concede that Southampton Road and parts of Shoreham Road would have to go, but not LHR-4. It is to the east of this proposed rwy. Final approaches for it on westerly operations would be over what is now the oil terminal, and south of LHR-4.
If the rwy went through LHR-4, it would not be far enough away from 09R/27L for simultaneous operations, and would therefore be about as much use as an ashtray on a motorcycle.
If it did not take out Stanwell, but just Stanwellmoor and went right up to the M25, it would be a very short rwy, just about 1 mi.
Either way going south of LHR is not particularly practical. As mentioned in post #2,610, using land north and northwest of LHR would result in less house demolition and provide land for 2 more rwys, taxiways, additional airport infrastructure and another fire station.
Quote: "This is a ludicrous plan, as will become apparent if and when we finally see a version that actually shows the runway itself, rather than the Evening Standard's "close-your-eyes-and-stick-a-pin-in-the-map" graphic."
Agreed, it is ludicrous, and where does the 4th rwy go with expansion to the south?
Last edited by Fairdealfrank; 9th Jun 2013 at 00:07.