Pilots who crash their private planes at Shoreham airport are not heroes. It is natural to find a clear space to land - after all, their lives are at risk.

At the moment the pilot puts the least possible fuel in the tank for his trip. This is wrong. When planes are shared by several pilots, the procedure must be reversed. No fuel tank should be run low. The fuel tank should be full and the pilots should fill the tank on landing. Running the tanks low only picks up any foreign matter in the tank and into the carburettor.

Pilots should not be beyond the law and those that run out of fuel should be prosecuted for endangering lives.

-C Williams, The Gardens, Southwick