Heathrow’s nine runways

When was a third runway for Heathrow first proposed? Heathrow was always planned to have multiple runways. On 10 April 1946, before the airport was even open, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Lord Winster, announced that the then London Airport was to have nine runways. Six would be in a Star of David pattern on the present site of Heathrow; the other three would form a triangle to the north of Bath Road, where the current proposal for a third runway is based. This was supposed to allow 160 aircraft movements per hour in good weather and 120 in bad weather. When Winster made his speech, three runways were already under construction. The third was later taken out of use, although part of it is still used as a taxiway.

Take the plunge

Biggest single-day falls in FTSE 100 history:

20 October 1987 -12%
19 October 1987 -11%
10 October -9%
6 October 2008 -7.9%
15 October -7.2%
26 October -6.2%
11 September 2001 -5.7%
6 November 2008 -5.7%

Overblown

Is climate change making it more windy? Average UK wind speed in knots:

Mean 2002-2011 8.9
2012 8.2
2013 8.6
2014 8.7
2015 9.4
2016 8.4
2017 8.7
2018 8.5
2019 8.2

Source: Dept for Business, Investment and Industrial Strategy

On the scrap heap

How good are we at recycling metals? Percentages of each one which is recycled after first use:

Iron and steel 90%
Aluminium 70%
Lead 68%
Nickel 58-63%
Copper 53%
Zinc 52%
Silver 30-50%
Gold 15-20%

Source: UN International Resource Panel/>