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.
Thats not noise...it is the sound of freedom....
For my part, I have trouble sleeping unless I can hear trains or aircraft.
Visit your local B-1 base sometime.
I told the prof that my Grandfather had worked there and he said they were generally rated as the best wing in the air force.
Oh I do like the way you think! I would vote for your presidency just based on this. :o)
Yeah, slick. Shut that base down, then......and watch the effect on your local economy, nimrod (absolutely guarantee he's a Democrat).
Talk about yer "environmental impact"........
And remember, the YF-22 was half a mach slower than one of the tested versions of the YF-23, and also had significantly higher RCS than the YF-23.
Eglin too probably.
It's not an AF plane but the Harrier has to be the nosiest jet there is. IMO
Gee, I wonder why people buy houses in a flight path?
When they buy them, the lower price is more important than the noise. After they get the benefit of a lower price, it is to their benefit to get the flight path moved, so they get the benefit of property value increase.
That is why Air Bases should be large enough so the land includes both the runways and much of the flight path associated with the runway.
Correct, but as Mark Twain observed. "Invest in land. They aren't making it anymore"...
guess you haven't been to Holland lately. The Dutchmen make their own land!
These are same ding-a-lings that had homes, schools, businesses, community centers, you name it around a military base and then have the Gaul to complain about overflights, noise, worry about safety, artillery noise, sounds from the small arms ranges and well as worry falsely about stray rounds, etc., had this at every military installation that I've lived at over a 20+ year military career. Tucson is a leftie moonbat center in Arizona second only to Bisbee. The writer of the article is the only staffer that does a fairly decent job of covering stories on the military in what we refer to as the Arizona Red Star as it so caters to the MoonBats.
When D-M opened it was 45 miles outside of town in open desert. The city has encroached on the safety zones and grown right up tight to the base and surrounded it. The real tough training of the pilots takes place at the Goldwater Range by Yuma, touch-n-gos take place for the most part at Libby Army Airfield at Ft. Huachuca 75 miles distant. It should also be noted these same moonbats don't complain one wit about the commercial aircraft coming in or leaving Tucson International Airport using nearly identical air corridors.
Also from Rudyard Kipling.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.