By Matt Ryan, Free Press Staff Writer
WINOOSKI — With the Vermont Air National Guard among the contenders to receive new fighter jets, Raymonde Perron of Winooski asked the pilots whether they could keep the noise down when they fly overhead.
“They have this piercing sound,” Perron said, adding that the F-16s the Guard has now drown out conversation on the ground.
Brian LaMothe, also of Winooski, said he had no concerns about the possibility the Guard might replace its F-16s with F-35s.
“I’m proud to have them in my backyard,” LaMothe said.
Perron and LaMothe attended an open house Monday at the O’Brien Community Center in Winooski held by the U.S. Air Force and Vermont Air National Guard to solicit public opinion regarding the possible fighter-jet switch. Throughout the two-hour meeting, the room held about two dozen people.
The Air Force is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate how flying F-35s out of one or more U.S. military installations might affect the environment, including civilians’ ears.
“The biggest question is the noise impact,” said Brig. Gen. Steve Cray, the assistant adjutant general for the Vermont Air National Guard. The F-35 is “somewhat louder” than the F-16, Cray said.
“How much louder is yet to be determined,” he said, adding the noise is comparable to that of an F-18 or F-22.
The Environmental Impact Statement also will evaluate how the planes affect air quality and whether they will require new ground facilities or modifications to existing facilities, Cray said.
The F-35s will not be operational until 2012-14, said Capt. Jennifer Pearson, spokeswoman for the Air Force’s Air Combat Command. However, the Air Force could decide next year where those planes will be distributed.
The plane is a few feet shorter and wider than the F-16, but unlike its predecessor, the F-35 will have advanced stealth capabilities, according to the Air Force.
The Air National Guard Station at Burlington International Airport is one of five bases the Air Force has considered to receive some of the aircraft. The other locations are an Air Guard station in Florida, Air Force bases in Idaho and Utah, and a joint Air Force-Air Guard base in South Carolina.
Between 200 and 300 F-35s could be distributed among the bases, Cray said. If selected, Burlington stands to receive between 18 and 24 planes.The Vermont Air National Guard has 15 to 18 F-16s, spokesman Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow said.
Lt. Col. Chris Caputo, who has flown F-16s with the Guard for more than three years, said he wanted a chance to fly F-35s out of Burlington.
“It’s awesome,” Caputo said. “It’s always fun to be a part of something new.”
Contact Matt Ryan at 651-4849 or mryan@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com.
Of course they are louder, they have two engines as opposed to the F-16’s one….The sound of FREEDOM!
negative ghost rider (Lumpy), there is only 1 engine. the F-22 has 2x engines. Unless you are talking about the VTOL model (vertical take off), but i don’t think that model is intended for Vermont Air National Guard
All models have a single engine producing around 40,000 lbs thrust. The STOVL (short takeoff, vertical landing) version adds a big vertical ducted fan. I assume the substantial increase in noise is partly due to the fact that the F-35 does have only one engine, and as such, must operate at higher power settings to maintain flight. Inlet duct noise may also be a contributor.