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FLIGHT PLIGHT
CAMERAS in hand, dozens of eager plane-spotters gather to capture the hair-raising sight of jumbo jets flying mere feet above a row of terraced houses.
While it’s a dream come true for them, it’s a living nightmare for the residents of Myrtle Avenue, who have to deal with the ear-splitting roar of planes coming in to land at Heathrow Airport every 45 seconds.
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The leafy street in Feltham is directly below the flight path of Britain's busiest airport, and has been dubbed the 'noisiest' in the country.
From 6am to 11pm, huge aircraft zoom in from all corners of the globe, and while some who live there have found ways of dealing with the racket, others say they can never get used to it.
In the daytime, airlines are allowed to reach a noise level of 94 decibels - the equivalent of a jackhammer just a few feet away.
At night they must lower the levels to 87 decibels, with fines for failing to comply.
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Medge Dofay, 73, has lived on the street for several years and says it's "very annoying".
"You never get any time off. It’s constant. If we could at least get a weekend or some two days... and sometimes at 11pm, they’re still flying," she tells The Sun.
"The worst of all is when you go to your back garden and want to have a relaxing time. Sometimes you feel as if it’s landing on your house!
"When the lockdowns happened and flights were grounded, it was good and relaxing. We could enjoy our back garden and we could have conversations."
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Medge says British Airways supplied double glazing for her windows and doors, but claims it doesn’t work.
"Before, it was much better, but the last company that built the windows - no good," she adds.
"Everybody is complaining about the noise and it’s getting louder."
The noise isn't the only thing that infuriates Medge - plane-spotters who lack "basic manners" are right up there with the thunderous din.
She says: "They can be incredibly annoying. They always come and block the way. Some drivers have had to go look for them as they entirely block everywhere.
"Other people come and ask if they could park but they block all the driveways."
Another resident who wished to remain anonymous adds: "I've lived here for five years. I knew the airport was right across the street but I didn't know it would be this bad.
"The noise is just terribly unbearable. And it actually gets worse when the planes are taking off."
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Another resident, Patrick Angelo, 70, is furious that he has to put up with jets flying over his house - yet his mode of transport doesn't comply with Sadiq Khan's hated ULEZ policy.
Blasting the Mayor of London's scheme as hypocritical, the semi-retired plumber tells us: "I live right underneath the flight path of Heathrow yet I have to give up my vehicle because of ULEZ.
"Anytime the flights take off and land, it is not only the noise pollution we have to worry about - it's also the vast amount of carbon they're disposing on our heads.
"Now I have to give up my car at a fraction of the cost or completely scrap it. I'd like to see how they neutralise the carbon emissions when we are paying huge amounts for flight tickets and live right under the flight path.
"Also, I am a frequent traveller and 50 per cent of my air ticket goes to tax. Who is getting all this money and how is it helping us the local residents?"
Good for business
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Moss Nayerri owns Trust Motorcars on a street adjacent to Myrtle Avenue, and claims there are several advantages to running a business here.
The 32-year-old, whose office is under the flight path, says: "It's got its challenges, especially when you're on the phone.
"You struggle to hear the customer and have to ask them to wait. Then when the aeroplane passes, you have to ask them to repeat themselves.
"But there are positives because we are next to Heathrow Airport. You do get a good influx of people who have just come into the country and want to buy a car temporarily, and they buy it from us.
"Overall there are more positives than negatives, I would say. It gives you a positive mood as well because it makes you feel like you're gonna go on holiday at some point soon, seeing the planes.
"If the planes are not taking off, you'll be fine because they are a lot louder when they take off than when they land. Today they're landing so we're okay with it.
"When they are taking off, you do think, 'I wish I was a little further away.' But I'm massively in support of the airport being here.
"You'll get people that are not happy with the noise but the airport has been here for many years and it has provided work for many people and I wouldn't wish to be anywhere else."
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Although residents slam the negative aspects of living on the street, house prices here remain high at an average of £533,000 - nearly double the national average, according to Rightmove.
Since the runway opened, there have not been any catastrophic incidents - though in 2008 a Boeing 777 nearly crashed into the street after its engines failed, according to Wired.
"We occasionally wonder if there would ever be a situation where one of these aeroplanes is going to fall down," Moss says.
"But I think the safety standards are quite high and I don't think there will be much for people to worry about."
Senior care worker Jason George, 36, is one of the lucky few on Myrtle Road to have their entire home completely sound-proofed.
He says: "I don't have any issues when I'm inside - it's only when I come out that I get disturbed by the noise.
"I know there are plane-spotters all the time... I don't personally have a problem with them, but it's the parking that's an issue.
"Sometimes I find them parked in front of my house and it makes it difficult. Apart from that, they can come and sit all day."
'I drove 4.5 hours to be here'
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Myrtle Avenue has become a tourist hotspot for eager plane-spotters amazed by how low the jets are able to fly.
They gather on a field at the end of the street - and some The Sun spoke to had travelled there from all over the country.
Brad Caslin is a railway cleaner who took a four-and-a-half hour train journey from Leeds. The 25-year-old says: "I set off at 8.20am just to come and get to see the planes and get some photographs for the day, and I will be back home tonight.
"I don't do this just for the traffic. It's also because there are variants of aircraft types coming in, and different airlines too.
"This is what I do normally in my spare time when I'm not working. It's my main priority.
"I've never driven here before but I can imagine people getting annoyed by their driveways being blocked by plane-spotters."
A father and son duo from Walton on Thames also came to spend the day on Myrtle Avenue for the first time ever.
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Dad Bardia said: "My son is keen to be a pilot so we thought we'd come down and watch the planes.
"Hundreds of thousands of people must come here each year - it must be really tough for people that live here. Myself personally, if I had to live anywhere, this is as good as any."
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