RE: Flight Simulator

I have never bought a computer game simulator but have had a go on the real thing. Yes it is possoble to have a go on a real
fligt simulator through a company called
http://www.virtualaviation.co.uk. This company hires out British Airways simualtors which are located at Heathrow mostly at weekend when they are not being used. To sit on the fligt deck of a boeing 747-400 in the captains seat and land and take off is just fantastic. You have an instructor sitting in the first officers seat who keeps thing under control but you are handling the controls. The simulator replicates everything and it is hard to think you have not left the ground. Dont bother with a computer game save up your cash for a go on a real simulator.
You will not be dissappointed.

Ted Shepherd

RE: heathrow terminal 5

Rabie I wish you well in trying to get expansion at manston.
It maybe surrounded by an area of high unemployment but the
N I M B Y S wont worry about that. Being a veteran of the terminal five campaign I can assure people that the objectors will not care less about employment prospects or anything else. They will only be interested in what they want which is a nice idealic world for them. It does not matter if other people pay a high price for them to enjoy their idealic world.

Yes the South East needs extra runway capacity and manston sounds a good option with its ready made runway. I hope it does expand because if we are all to enjoy unlimited air travel then we have to increase capacity urgently.

I and my collegues are still fighting for terminal five. It has been a long haul but it has to be done if the U K is to retain its place as a global player.

If anyone wants to see us we will have a stand at the
Heathrow Enthuiasts Fair at Feltham Community School on Saturday
19th May 2001.

Ted

RE: heathrow terminal 5

I am glad to see we have a topic on Terminal Five. I am a member
of T5 supporters who have campaigned since the public inquiry started in May 95 to get terminal five built as soon as possible.
The Public Inquiry finished in March 1999. The inspector of the inquiry then went away to write his report which was passed the Government in Dec 2000. The government are now sitting on the Inspectors report until at least till after the next general election. There have been leaks to say it will go ahead much to the disgust of the opponents of the project. So we go on waiting for a firm decision.

The opponents want the T5 project terminated but they have never offered any solution to ever growing demand for air travel. Their only solution is to tax air travel out of existance and make it only for the rich. I wonder how us who like a trip to teh Sun would take to finding that our package tour is no longer available or at a high price.

If T 5 is terminated then something will have to give and it will not be the first class passenger. It is forecast that by
2015 twice as many passengers will want to use south east Airports. There is no way the existing capacity can cope with that level of demand. So if thing sget tight as regards capacity the first people to be tipped out will be the economy passenger along with the package tour passengers.

I agree that we need a new airport but how do we get past the
N I M BY brigade. Who is going to finance a brand new airport which will have to financed from the private sector. I do not see the people like richard Branson falling over themselves to put up the money to build a new airport. Would a group of financial backers want to finance another long drawn out inquiry.
B A A the owners of Heathrow and british Airways the largest user have sunk probably 100 million to get this far. That is dead money down the drain. You the British taxpayer paid for the public inquiry to sit for nearly four years. Possibly a number of new Hospitals could have been built on the cost of that inquiry. What has the inquiry achieved and in my opinion very little. The opponents still do not want to face facts.
They want Heathrow downsized and moved to a new airport in the Thames Estuary. Even if you could find a site in the Estuary where do you put the rest of the support services plus housing for the workers. Heathrow employs approx 80,000 people both directly and indirectly.

The bottom line is whether we want to be part of the global economy or not. Around heathrow are a number of International firms who are there because it suits their purpose. Heathrow provides good communications to otheer parts of the world. Now the question has to be asked if it no longer offer these firms good communications will these firms up and go elswhere leaving acute unemployment in their wake. The world does not owe us a living and we have to fight for our share of this global market.
If anybody wants to come and help us get Terminal five built as soon as possible then send me an e-mail. What do we do. We write letters to local newspapers. write to local Cllrs and M Ps to put the positive side of the arguement for terminal five across.
We also take our stand to local airshows and shopping malls.

Ted Shepherd