About us
HACAN ClearSkies is the largest voluntary organisation in Europe dedicated to campaign on behalf of those who suffer because of aircraft flight paths.
This is not surprising when you consider that Heathrow, by an historical accident (no one at the time realised just how big it was going to become) is in a very foolish postion relative to the city it serves, from the points of view of both pollution and safety. Heathrow's close position may appear to be convenient, but the prevailing wind (which determines the direction of the runways) means that the majority of planes landing at Heathrow have to fly over London.
When the wind is from the east, aircraft have to take off over heavily populated areas, which is unsafe (cf. the Paris Concorde crash and the New York A300 tail fin separation crash). No other European city has its major airport sited so badly, although the growth of aviation has meant that other cities faced the same problem.
Noise has been the big concern of the residents we represent, but, in recent years as flight numbers have been increased, there have been growing concerns about air pollution, safety and the impact of Heathrow on the surrounding floodplain.
Many of our members live with a plane coming over their heads - each and every 90 seconds - virtually throughout the day. And the Government's only thought is about bringing in more flights! It is little wonder that the thoughts of some of the residents are turning to civil disobedience and direct action.
