While some older, neglected airports may be getting a second look from their communities, the challenge of finding a site for a new airport is not getting any easier. In North Carolina, the Navy’s effort to build a landing field in a rural county so its F/A-18 Super Hornet jet pilots can practice carrier landings has drawn opposition from every conceivable quarter, for every conceivable reason — it would be noisy, it would take 33,000 acres of land off the tax rolls in a poor county, it would destroy wildlife habitat, it would endanger migratory birds (and pilots), and it would force family farmers off their land with inadequate compensation. So said a long line of opponents at a hearing in rural Washington County last Saturday. The Navy says the landing field is necessary to support a larger surge-ready force. The site is centrally located between the Oceana and Cherry Point Air Stations in Virginia. The Sierra Club warns that the site is within five miles of a wildlife refuge that is the winter home of more than 100,000 tundra swans and snow geese, large birds that could damage or wreck the fighter jets in the case of a collision. The Navy has said it is aware of the bird hazard but says it is “manageable.” Last weekend’s hearing was one of a series conducted around the state by a joint Navy-civilian study group, which is scheduled to make a recommendation on the Washington County site by the end of April.
Opponents Adamant Against Navy Airfield In N.C.
Key Takeaways:
- The U.S. Navy proposes building a landing field in rural Washington County, North Carolina, for F/A-18 Super Hornet pilots to practice carrier landings, stating it's necessary for a "surge-ready force."
- The project faces widespread opposition from local residents and various groups due to concerns about noise, taking 33,000 acres off tax rolls, destroying wildlife habitat, endangering migratory birds and pilots, and displacing family farmers.
- A major concern is the site's proximity to a wildlife refuge, a winter home for over 100,000 large migratory birds, raising significant bird strike hazards for fighter jets, which the Navy acknowledges but calls "manageable."
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