Farnborough airport’s biggest critic silenced as expansion plans continue

Farnborough is the UK’s oldest aerodrome, and was the site of Britain’s first-ever powered flight. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters

For four years, Colin Shearn, a 62-year-old retired corporate executive, led the Farnborough Noise Group, a watchdog for locals worried about the operations of Farnborough airport, the UK’s busiest private jet airfield.

Then, one day in August, police came knocking at his door.