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Nevada airspace sought
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ELKO -- Officials at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho say Nevadans have nothing to fear about a plan to expand the base's airspace deeper into the Silver State.
Bryon Schmidt, chief of airspace management at the base, told Elko County commissioners last week that the plan would not have much of an effect on their county or on Humboldt County.
The proposal follows a request by Hill Air Force Base in Utah to extend a supersonic operations area by 1.6 million acres north of Ely in eastern Nevada.
That earlier plan has been criticized by environmentalists, who say it would increase the frequency of sonic booms and litter from training operations.
Schmidt said the latest proposal involves pilots who fly at supersonic speeds above 30,000 feet and the chances of hearing a sonic boom will be slim to none.
Pilots can fly on lower routes but can't fly below certain altitudes unless they have completed special requirements.
Schmidt said the Air Force already uses aerial training routes over Elko and Humboldt counties, including the towns of Midas, Tuscarora and Mountain City.
"We are asking to operate in the same way but move a little more east and south," Schmidt said.
If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the expansion would increase the airspace by nearly 30 percent.
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Besh.Cooper wrote on October 12, 2009 10:05 AM:
The word on the street is that they are testing larger flying saucers and they want the extra air space to guard against a civilian / flying saucer accident.
They are using new cold fusion black matter power generating devices in the saucers and if there were to be an accident and the core of the engine were to burst it would take blast us into the Micronauts multiverse. 100% true. Hello stuart wrote on October 12, 2009 07:43 AM: Let me help to de-ignorantize you: "litter" is from the many shells, lead in bullets, bomb fragments, fuel tank drops, aluminum chaff, as well as a myriad of other litter from the realistic training that our military must undertake to maintain their skills and to learn how to be good at their jobs. Therefore, expanding the area does indeed expand litter. Stuart Pedasso wrote on October 12, 2009 05:36 AM: "environmentalists, who say it would increase the frequency of sonic booms and litter from training operations". Increase litter? Sure when you are flying supersonic at +30,000' you just pop the canopy and toss out that Mars Bar wrapper. |
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