Sou Atc
 

Hey Southampton Air Trafficers.....................

I am starting to visit Sotton a lot more these days and have noticed that ATC find it very difficult to accomodate noise abatement/direct arrivals.

Frequently now ATC will insist you take-off or land using the approach/departure over the city centre. I was under the understanding that noise was becoming a local issue. It just seems curious that the likes of say BHD can work around it with primary radar only and a TMA above aswell. Admittedly they don't have the red indian traffic buzzing around the zone like Sotton. But a helpful direct straight in or a tail-wind departure can help the operators and the airfield neighbourhood watch so to speak.

Maybe its because the EMB-145 etc have traditionally not been able to accept a tailwind? Perhaps this is a reason. Any comments from the people up top as to what the preferences are for noise?

Failing any local procedures that are doing it I would guess that the runway in use is determined by the wind and overall traffic flows. Given that the runway is short and that a good many aircraft won't be able or want to accept a tailwind, fitting a non-standard take-off or landing becomes more difficult as traffic levels rise. I stand to be corrected by someone from HI but I doubt that it's any more sinister than that.