Posted on 02/26/2006 7:12:29 AM PST by SandRat
The newest bird in the Air Force fleet — and one of the noisiest — will make its Tucson debut next weekend. The F-22 Raptor, a sleek and supersonic stealth jet that's more advanced than any other in Air Force history, will be among dozens of new and vintage warplanes in town to train for the 2006 air- show season.
Two or three of the futuristic fighters will touch down during the annual Heritage Flight Conference at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, a three-day event that allows pilots to practice formation flying for eight to nine hours a day. It's part of the certification process to perform on the air-show circuit.
The training conference runs from Friday through Sunday.
To military aircraft enthusiasts, the Raptor's arrival is cause for ooh-ing and aah-ing.
"The F-22 is a pretty spectacular bit of technology," said Scott Marchand, director of collections and aircraft restoration at the Pima Air and Space Museum. The radar-defeating aircraft, which cost about $130 million apiece, came into service three months ago, so recently that few civilians have ever seen one in flight.
"This is a rare chance to get a sneak peek at the next generation of air-dominance fighters," Marchand said. The F-22 "is a much noisier airplane" than the A-10 attack jets that typically fly above Tucson, Marchand noted.
And the Raptor also has much more advanced capabilities, such as the ability to cruise at supersonic speed without afterburners, and sophisticated sensors that allow the pilot to track, identify and shoot a threat before it detects the F-22. But some Tucsonans concerned about military-jet noise see the extra flights as an added headache and safety risk.
National security requirements are one thing. Practicing for air shows is another, said Daniel Patterson, city planning commissioner.
"I'm not sure it's appropriate to have all these additional overflights in a big city. It seems like it would be more appropriate for a remote location," said Patterson, who is also a co-chairman of Tucsonans for Quality of Life, a citizens group concerned about the environmental impact of the air base.
He said the air-show training heaps one more aggravation onto residents already negatively affected by things like extra helicopter flights and on-again, off-again night training at D-M.
Col. Michael Isherwood, D-M's vice commander, said he doesn't expect a major increase in noise because the F-22 is not at full power when flying in formation.
According to an Air Force noise study, an F-22 flying 500 feet above ground level sounds about the same as a chain saw operating nearby.
About 40 aircraft will take part in the training sessions, including historic warplanes such as the World War II-era P-51 Mustang and the F-86 Sabre, which was flown during the Korean War.
While the training flights will be visible to city residents, the event is not open to the public.
Marchand said a prime viewing spot is the parking lot of the air museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, between South Wilmot Road and Interstate 10.
The merchants would very quickly learn where all that money came from!
"I think the F-18 Eagle received similar criticism when it first came out, but has since gone on to prove itself, well, in a word, a fighter/bomber, aircraft."
Oppps! "I think the F-18 Eagle received similar criticism when it first came out, but has since gone on to prove itself, well, in a word, a SUPERIOR fighter/bomber, aircraft."
They're gorgeous!
They can fly all over my neighborhood anytime they want.
The fact that they annoy liberals is all to the best.
Let's defund NPR, PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts, etc., buy about 500 of these elegant machines, and let them train constantly above liberal enclaves.
Dude What is an F-18 Eagle?
Speaking of the National Endowment for the Arts, they don't know art. The F-22 is art.
AT least the USAF went to twin engined fighters. I heard the F16 had problems. So much so, they earn the nick name Lawn Dart becuase of all the crashes.
I have to agree with him there. Far better that any training accidents happen over open desert.
When training for an air show, you want to practice around and over the city where the show is taking place. You need to learn where power lines are, where the tall buildings are, where the landmarks are that mark your turning points and boundaries of the air show. You also need to learn safe ejection places and a host of other concerns that can only be learned by flying above the site of the show.
All the citizens are asked to endure is "a little noise". Wow, what an enormous sacrifice.
I would nominate the F-104 Starfighter as one of the noisiest in AF history. While TDY at Incirlik in the early 90's, the Turkish AF still operated F-104's and when the took off, you could literally feel it in your gut.
Weren't those F-22s that did a fly-by prior to the start of the Daytona 500 last week?
Point conceded.
You'll note I didn't even address the noise issue.
Sorry. My sarcasm was directed at the limp wristed citizen cited in the article.
I love the "sound of freedom"!
No problem. I hadn't given due thought to the site specific issues you raised.
Thanks for the input.
Rambling's great. In rambling you find truth.
I live in Flagstaff, AZ. Flag has been a railroad town since the 1870's. Now we have a group of moonbats who want to ban "train noise" at a cost to the taxpayers of millions and millions. They are succeeding!
Please come, F-22s. Fly over Flagstaff day and night.
These are no doubt the same people who go to rock concerts and raves...
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