Documentary looks at V.T.O. aircraft

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33454, 8 February 1974, Page 4

Documentary looks at V.T.O. aircraft

‘'Horizon” looks at what could be one of the great environmental debates of the century — to have, or not to have, aircraft flying in and out of city centres. — in a documentary on Sunday ievening. The film traces the deimands for V.T.O.L. (vertical take off and landing) from [what has become known as the great American air jam of July 1968. This brought the entire New York air jtraffic system to a halt. ’ It was the first great warning sign for, as aviation experts point out, in the future there simply will npt be enough airport space to meet passenger demand. The New York air jam arose largely because there were too many aeroplanes and too few runways. It intensified the search for aircraft not dependent on twotrnile runways and large airports. The film tells the fascinating story of the test pilots and engineers who have had

. the job of creating, a revolutionary plane which — with 100 passengers aboard — could lift itself vertically off the ground, hang motionless in the air and land on a sixpence. Today the technology is available, but these planes have now created an enormous dilemma. To be economic they will have to land near city centres. The film looks in detail at the possible effects for those living and working in London of a V-port sited in the ■'Surrey Docks on the south bank of the Thames — at present the most favoured location. One estimate suggests that as many as 24,000 people ■ might be so seriously affected that they might have to ' move their homes. The film reveals that so .far there is inadequate scien- ■ tific evidence on the effects ■ of aircraft noise and pollution in city centres. "Horizon: Looking for a Happy Landing” screens on Sunday at 10.15 pm.