HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. — Lt. Col. Robert Teschner on Friday addressed what residents in the Borderland have been talking about since Feb. 9.
Due to Mission F-22A -- training exercises where the Raptors are being flown over the local airspace -- Teschner said when a flying object is traveling faster than the speed of sound through the air, you're going to get a sonic boom.
The base is home of the 49th Wing, which operates the F-22A Raptor. Its is one of three that trains and operates the aircraft. Teschner said it's designed to fly at high speed.
If you were wondering why these booms weren't heard before, its because the aircraft were grounded due to suspended operations, said Teschner.
Recently, Holloman Air Force Base got the green light to start flying again.
ALAMOGORDO, N.M. (KRQE) - It's the fastest fighter plane in the Air Force.
The F-22 Raptor flies at supersonic speeds, and can create a boom loud enough to set off car alarms.
One of the squadrons is based at Holloman Air Force Base outside Alamogordo. But, the booms that come with them are rattling some people up to 50 miles away.
The explosive sound is a result of the super-fast aircraft breaking the sound barrier. It can be heard from the ground, sometimes from 30-50 miles away.
"With a family that lives downtown as well, I am sensitive to the noise issues with this airplane," explained F-22 pilot, and 49th Operations Group Deputy Commander Robert Teschner., our balance is that the nation needs us to be as prepared as possible
Since the F-22 squadron at Holloman is one of the five operational squadrons for the jets in the United States, being combat-ready is vital.
"Our daily training prepares us to be ready to execute worldwide contingency missions on a moments notice," Teschner said.
With 26 Raptors on base and 39 qualified F-22 pilots, flight times often run Monday through Fridays and sometimes on Saturdays. The flights are during the day, but in the past they've occasionally flown at night.
Many people have complained about the booms. Some say they moved to the surrounding mountains for the tranquility only to be subjected to the booms.
Others complain that it spooks their livestock.
F-22 pilots at Holloman Air Force Base explained that the sonic booms are a natural consequence to a very important mission and that constant training is necessary.
To lessen the impact on the public, the Air Forces uses air space over less-populated areas.
But they are not cutting down their test flights. Air Force officials say the sonic booms represent the sound of freedom.
"You have to be able to absorb lots of different kinds of data, quickly assimilate, and then do something about it," Teschner said. "And the only way to be able to do that effectively is to do it often."
Teschner said even a few days off from flying can make a pilot feel like he's losing his edge.
"For the nation, we don't want any of our pilots to get into that rusty-sort of feeling," he explained.
Officials at Holloman also send out flight schedules to let the public know about their mission and when to expect possible booms. The schedules also are published on the Holloman website under Boom Report.
No comments:
Post a Comment