ON more than one occasion the Herald columnist Pinstripe has referred to the considerable expenditure by the Scottish Government on the underused passenger terminal at Prestwick which he regards as a thriftless waste of resources. He would like to close down Prestwick Airport and thereby save a large sum of taxpayers’ money. One or two letters to The Herald have supported his view.
However, in the recent issue of the Herald Business HQ, Spring 2019, Prestwick Airport is highly regarded as a vigorous space age industrial and research centre and potentially an official site of a UK Space Agency horizontal space port, which has great financial value for the country.
Why are there these two contrasting opinions about the future of Prestwick Airport?
Prestwick Airport is not just the site of an under-used passenger terminal. It is in fact the nucleus of a thriving aero-space industrial park which works within the Scottish space industry in itself a major player in the UK. It is realistic to hope that Prestwick Airport will be licensed by the UK Space Agency as one of three horizontal space ports.
The strength of Scotland’s space industry is perhaps not as widely appreciated as the reality deserves. Scotland builds more satellites than any other country in Europe and currently there are Scottish built satellites in orbit which are operated from Scotland. The aerospace industry in the west of Scotland with a presence in Prestwick works closely with Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities. Along with the vertical take-off port proposed for Sutherland Scotland is in a strong position to play a significant role in the expanding, lucrative field of satellites.
Prestwick Airport has good transport links, with direct access by dual carriageway and by main line rail. At nearby Hunterston there is a deep water port which is presently being renovated from its previous role as a coal terminal.
Closing down Prestwick Airport would be a very short-term and unwise move.
Hugh Boyd, Bearsden.
Give us a clue
AS the proud winner of The Herald’s last Clootie, I was delighted to hear from Stephen Naysmith that my brain is 10 years younger than I thought ("Healthy brains are only one benefit for crossword-solvers", The Herald May 17). I’ve always felt vaguely guilty about my crossword habit, thinking of it as a displacement activity for fretfulness (Lord knows there’s plenty to be fretful about these days). It’s reassuring to find out that the mental workout is beneficial.
Stephen Naysmith mentions that the Observer’s Azed asks entrants to submit a clue. Myops used to incorporate such a clue into The Herald’s Saturday puzzle, but this practice ceased, around the time of the sad passing of The Herald’s crossword editor Calum Macdonald, aka MCC, The Man who was Thursday. I, and I think some of the other crossword aficionados who used to congregate in The Curlers on Byres Road under Calum’s auspices, miss these clues. Would The Herald consider reinstating them?
Cruciverbalist’s stormy November? Then sympathise (7,8).
Dr Hamish Maclaren, Stirling.
Boot camp
I HAVE always enjoyed the reminiscences of Thelma Edwards in The Herald, and I hope she will continue to inform and entertain in this way long into the future. Having said that, I hope also she will understand and forgive my surprise, bordering on shock, at her recent revelation (Letters, May 18). All I can surmise from it is that in Kelso, year round, the weather must be exceedingly clement to enable her to go about her daily business, without medical impairment, wearing only her boots.
Alan Fitzpatrick,
Dunlop.
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