IN response to Frank Bowles letter in last week s Ely Standard, may I remind him that once upon a 60 years ago the amount of military air traffic would have been considerably greater than it is today, with Witchford, Mepal, Feltwell, Downham Market and W

IN response to Frank Bowles' letter in last week's Ely Standard, may I remind him that once upon a 60 years ago the amount of military air traffic would have been considerably greater than it is today, with Witchford, Mepal, Feltwell, Downham Market and Waterbeach also active, something I would love to have seen.

In fact, I'm glad that there are still two airfields in the local area that are being used for their intended purpose and I find the presence of the aircraft comforting and anything but a nuisance. Granted, the Eagle fighters can be a little noisy at times, but the bulk of the air traffic is fairly innocuous.

May I also remind him that if runway 11 is being used, it will probably be being used by all air traffic for Mildenhall on that day as use is governed by wind direction. If the overall use is 15 per cent, then I presume the prevailing wind is usually in a different direction, but when it does necessitate the use of 11, air traffic over Ely will be heavier that day.

As for whether it is necessary in the defence of the UK; most of the aircraft we see over Ely are support aircraft which will be flying out to the Middle East, working and then returning. Others are probably training, or on test flights, all necessary work, and thanks to Tony Blair, the UK is also involved in the Middle East, so directly or indirectly the USAF is protecting the UK.

I don't work for the air force, or in the aviation industry, but I love planes and moved to Lynn Road knowing full well I'd see air activity. I suggest those who have a problem with that should either leave, or have done better research before moving here.

Finally a comment on John Pendrey's letter (Standard, September 21). Mildenhall houses the large support aircraft and Lakenheath the fighters, generally speaking in aviation ne'er the twain shall meet, so it is unlikely that the air bases will merge. If they did then all operations would move to Mildenhall as the Lakenheath runways aren't really constructed for the modern heavies. For that reason as well, Lakenheath couldn't be an option for Marshalls, and I for one hope Marshalls stay at its birthplace on Newmarket Road for many years to come.

As I have mentioned, I am not employed in aerospace and as such any errors in this are my own, but that is how I perceive the current situation.

LIZ MAXIM

Lynne Road

Ely