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| A C-2A Greyhound U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Brent Thacker |
Navy To Conduct Landing Practice at Wallops
WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. (WAVY) - A long battle over where to conduct Navy landing practice operations was finalized Thursday.
NASA announced it signed an agreement with the U.S. Navy to conduct Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) operations at the Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore.
The E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound flight activity is expected to begin as early as this summer, according to a NASA news release. The Navy says the aircraft will conduct up to 20,000 passes annually at the site.
As part of the agreement, the Navy will pay $1.9 million each year to assist with repairs and upgrades to the Wallops airfield. The Navy will also reimburse NASA for support services during training.
To prepare for the upcoming training, the NASA Wallops airfield will undergo construction and lighting upgrades in the next few weeks.
The Navy released a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) in January and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) after evaluating the potential environmental effects that could result from the proposal to conduct regular, scheduled E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) operations at Wallops.
The purpose of the decision to train at Wallops is to provide additional local FCLP training for E2/C2 squadrons operating from NS Norfolk Chambers Field.
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Nothing new here. For years Air Force One has utilized Wallops and Georgetown (DE) airports for practice.
ReplyDeleteYour friend,
Slim
Maybe so. But how often? Most of the practicing and testing on the reaction of the wild life was done during winter when people were not outside to hear and most probably don't even know what's going on until they hear them this summer.
ReplyDeleteGuess tanning outside is out of the question.
E-2 and C-2 are pretty much the same airframe and they have turboprop engines. They make about the same noise as the Dash 8's flying out of Salisbury airport. And they are MUCH quieter than the piston engine planes the Navy used to fly out of Chincoteague Naval Air Station.
ReplyDeleteI understand your concern but don't think (and hope) it will not be as bad as you are thinking. And any effect on wildlife will be minimal, if any at all. The wildlife will have more effect on the operations than the operations will on the wildlife.
Your friend,
Slim
Oh I'm not worried on the noise- I watched them off an on this winter. I would call it a hum.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll hear them if I'm asleep in the middle of the afternoon on the deck! What you see is what you get!
Besides, the E2 and C2 are going to be alot more tolerable than the one that come flying over so fast and so loud I have to cower down and hide my head.