Post by mainedawg on Jun 8, 2012 11:49:47 GMT -5
FARMINGTON — A plan to make Western Maine a training ground for the U.S. Air Force’s new F-35A stealth fighter jet received mixed reviews at a public hearing Tuesday.
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The hearing at the University of Maine at Farmington attracted more than 50 residents from Western Maine. Many spoke against the project, arguing that the planes, which are louder than the F-16s that currently fly over the state, would disturb livestock, hurt real estate prices and disrupt tourism.
“The local tourist economy is some $700 million a year. Now just a 1 percent loss in that would be enough to pay for deployment elsewhere,” David Guernsey of Kingfield said. “We’re really, in some of these things, asked to bear the cost ourselves so that the Air Force saves itself a few budgetary dollars.”
Several others who spoke at the hearing, including Douglas Topper of Mason Township, gave their support to the new jets.
“It’s a combat aircraft that’s designed to help the United States fill gaps for missile defense,” Topper said. “I think that’s an important thing I don’t want to see overlooked tonight. Your real estate isn’t worth much if you can’t defend it.”
Designed with cutting-edge stealth and avionics technologies, the F-35A will eventually replace the Air Force’s fleet of aging F-16 fighter jets. To introduce the new planes into the current system, the Air Force is searching for an initial “beddown” location to base the planes and train new crew members.
One of the Air Force’s preferred beddown locations is the Burlington Air Guard Station in Burlington, Vt. The base is home to 18 F-16 jets, which make daily training flights over airspace in New York, New Hampshire and Maine. If the Air Force selects Burlington AGS as its beddown location, the new planes would be phased in starting in 2015. Eventually, the F-35A would completely replace Burlington’s existing F-16 aircraft with 18 to 24 F-25As.
Other possible beddown locations for the F-35A include Hill Air Force Base in Utah; Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina; McEntire Joint National Guard Base in South Carolina; Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, and Jacksonville Air Guard Station in Florida.
While the F-35A is louder than the F-16, the new planes would have little additional sonic impact on residents in Maine, according to a draft Environmental Impact Statement prepared by the Air Force, Lt. Col. Dan Finnegan of the Vermont Air National Guard said.
“The existing 7,000 feet mean sea level floor in Condor is sufficient for F-35 operations, and the overall noise footprint for the state of Maine will decrease,” Finnegan said.
The airspace over Western Maine is designated “Condor Scotty” and encompasses more than 190,000 acres in Franklin, Oxford, Somerset and Piscataquis counties in Maine and parts of Coos County in New Hampshire. The towns of Farmington, Bethel, Rumford, Andover, Canton, Wilton, Philips, Rangeley and Kingfield all lie within Condor Scotty.
Jet sounds in Maine would remain at “ambient” levels below 45 decibels — roughly equal to a humming refrigerator, according to the Air Force EIS. Since low-level flights would be confined primarily to the Adirondack region of New York, total flights over Maine would decrease by 7 percent, Finnegan said.
While many in attendance said they were encouraged by Air Force’s decision not to lower the flight ceiling below 7,000 feet, some asked for permanent guarantees that would freeze the flight ceiling at its current level.
“I’m afraid that the lack of a permanent understanding could lead to issues down the road, and it’s something that we will fight adamantly, and we will continue to fight,” said Rep. Jarrod Crockett, R-Bethel. “The natural tourism here, the ecotourism that we rely on in our economy is first and foremost.”
The public has until June 20 to submit written comments about the proposed F-35A bedding. The Air Force will make its final decision by December.
Written comments on the F-35A plan may be submitted by June 20 to:
Nick Germanos ACC/A7PS
129 Andrews St., Suite 337
Langley AFB, VA 23665-2769
Gregory Kwasnik photo
Lloyd Griscom of Phillips, left, stands in front of a map of Maine's high peaks region during a public hearing Tuesday at the University of Maine at Farmington. The hearing concerned the U.S. Air Force's proposal to allow new F-35A fighter jets to fl