May 9, 2018

Tucson.com - Opinion Letters | May 7, 2018 | ~ Letter: It's not whining, the F-35 is just too loud ~ | Blogger: [🤫Shhh...Don't Tell.. Leaked DoD memo: F-35 may never be combat ready.. 🛦🛫Meet the MOST expensive weapons program in the world 🛬🛦] ... 'Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) has been awarded a $1.4 billion sustainment services contract for the F-35 program. The funds will go toward sustaining the more than 280 existing F-35s located at 15 bases around the world, and building capacity to eventually serve a fleet of some 3,000 aircraft. That includes air system maintenance, pilot and maintainer training, depot activation, predictive health management, data analytics, and more' (wtop) ... 💭 PS: Danish government (and other governmental bodies incl. Lockheed & Danish DoD) is accused of cheating in case of their combat aircraft.. In a central report, created by The Danish Ministry of Defence failed to include 41 housings, which officials had previously designated as the most noise-ridden in the area near Fighter Wing Skrydstrup. On the other hand, the Ministry chose calculation points for the noise, which was 14 km AWAY from the Royal Danish Air Force location. Thus, the politicians did not get a true picture of how much the plane really is the noisiest plane (fighter aircraft in history). That's according to Professor Emeritus Henrik Møller after reviewing the figures... |



Re: the May 4 letter to the editor "D-M was here before the anti-noise whiners."
We have lived near the Davis-Monthan flight path since 1976. We are used to aircraft sounds, from the F-4 years ago to today's A-35, F-16 and C-130, and don't whine about it. Since we moved here the Tucson metro area has quadrupled and is becoming a dense urban area, mainly near the flight path, quite different than when the base was first located beyond the edge of town.

Unlike the other aircraft, when F-35's pass over the sound is intolerable and inappropriate in an urban area. I recognize the economic benefit of D-M to Tucson, but remember that quality of life and property values are also important and have financial implications as well. The F-35 should be based elsewhere.

Brian McCarthy

Midtown

Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.

http://tucson.com/opinion/letters/local-issues/letter-it-s-not-whining-the-f--is-just/article_762e8b6e-5220-11e8-a974-a7447f713294.html