Duxford Air Musuem - a wide ranging discussion

Went to the Duxford Airfield Management Liasion Committee (or something like that) which is basically all the local parish councils, me from the district, and Tim Stone from the county, together with the Imerial War Museum Director, Richard Ashton and his team (mainly Mick Martin, who was in fine form.)

We discussed the Formula 1 racing which caused just a bit of contraversy back in the summer. The Musuem will be holding a public meeting in the evening of 7th December, for local people to consider the issues raised by the motor racing testing. The museum was appreciative of the efforts of Whittlesford Parish Council in running a questionnaire to gain village views. If the racing car testing continues next year there are a number of conditions which the environmental noise team at the district council are asking for: 28 days between each day of testing, and plenty of notice (five weeks) of each testing day.

We also talked about flying levels over villages, where the legal limit is no lower than 500 feet, and the airfield exercises a local requirement of flying above 2,000 feet. And also the impact of wind turbines on the airfield and flying. The proposed Linton windfarm site is too far away for it to affect Duxford, but both Marshalls and Stansted have expressed concern. Last year 75,000 people visited air show days, with overall 337,000 visitors. Flying complaints slightly up - as a knock on from the complaints generated over F1 racing.