IN the last weeks we have witnessed why RAF pilots need low-flying training.

The skills and courage of British and American aircrew played a major part in winning the war in Iraq quickly and with limited casualties.

The US pilots' expertise is honed above vast acres of unpopulated desert. Unfortunately for the RAF, no similar areas exist in Britain.

The nearest equivalents are open spaces such as the North York Moors. That is one reason why we have so many air bases clustered in this area. The air force's distinguished record in the Second World War and subsequent conflicts makes their presence here a source of pride.

But North Yorkshire is a residential area, a farming area. Unlike Arizona, the noise of jet engines is bound to prove intrusive.

For some people living under the flightpath, the noise of RAF training sorties is nightmare.

Anyone who has attended an airshow at Elvington can understand how disruptive the sound can be. From a distance, the aircraft seem to be flying silently. It is only when they are overhead that the sound catches up, and the suddenness and volume combine to take the breath away.

For a Cambridgeshire couple, the noise became so unbearable that they took the Ministry of Defence to court. They won nearly £1 million in compensation, although the judge said the RAF should carry on flying.

This has given hope to local campaigners. They say it will make it easier for them to pursue their own claims. The high-flyers of the MoD are no longer above the law.

Certainly the court case will make the Government sit up and take notice, and that may be a good thing for the residents who feel their shattered peace of mind has been ignored by the men from the ministry.

But the courts should be a last resort. In the light of the Cambridgeshire judgement, we hope campaigners and the RAF can meet up again to fashion a compromise with which they can both live.

Updated: 10:47 Thursday, April 17, 2003