Impacts of training flights questioned

[harvey007]

Source: Trinidad Times (Colorado)

A number of Colorado’s federal representatives and senators are petitioning the U.S. Air Force to take civilian and local military concerns into consideration with its planned low-altitude tactical navigation (LATN) area training flights over southeast Colorado and eastern New Mexico.

Similar letters signed by U.S. Reps. John Salazar, Jared Polis, Diana DeGette, Ed Perlmutter and Betsy Markey, then another signed by U.S. Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet — to Lt. Gen. Donald Wurster, commander of the Air Force’s Special Operations Command at Hurlburt, Fla. — asked that the training flights take into consideration, “...existing civilian and military aviation operations...wilderness areas, agriculture, ski areas and other national treasurers...”

The LATN area is currently proposed to consist of 36 Colorado counties and 19 counties in New Mexico. The flights would be conducted in turboprop aircraft, the C-22 Osprey and C-130 Hercules, stationed at Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis, N.M. The Air Force has announced the impending training period as consisting of a variable number of mission flights during a 24-hour period, the majority reportedly intended to occur Monday through Friday around dusk. A total of about 700 flights are planned per year.

The senators’ letter also mentioned concern about possible conflicts between the training flights and medical emergency helicopters — that, “frequently operate in the mountains and remote regions of the state while saving the lives of hikers, climbers and other outdoorsmen” — and the potential hazards that could result from a lack of coordination with “current medical, agricultural and private aviation operations.”

Read more: http://trinidad-times.com/impacts-of-training-flights-questioned-p998-1.htm

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Santa Fe County Commission considers a resolution against this plan today.

http://www.cannon.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100820-045.pdf

http://www.cannon.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100820-046.pdf

[pasto76]

1. I gotta say Im not opposed to this at all

especially if it is turboprop aircraft. CO has good training conditions for pilots to go to Afghanistan. I live in CO, and am an Iraq vet. Our troops need good training, this will provide some.

[blackbart99]

2. No problem with that...

...just make sure they are not messing it up for those of us that here doing those things we do
that you are over there fighting to protect. Mr. Pesto76. If an actual emergency pops up during
a test flight then training stops and makes way for real life. Real life always comes first
over training for real life.:patriot: :bluebox: