New schedule will cover Aircraft carrier based practice flights only, not all Ault operations
— from Kimberly Johnston, Rep. Larsen’s office —
Rep. Rick Larsen, WA-02, [Thursday, May 26, 2016] applauded Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s announcement that it will publish flight practice schedules for Ault Field. Larsen made the recommendation to the base at the request of his constituents.
NASWI currently publishes a weekly schedule of Growler Field Carrier Landing Practices (FCLPs) at OLF Coupeville, which Larsen helped initiate. Larsen listened to community members’ suggestion that the base also publish a schedule for similar flight training at Ault Field to try to give people impacted by jet noise from Ault Field this same advanced notice. Working with NASWI to publish the flight training schedule at Ault Field is part of Larsen’s long term plan to address people’s concerns about jet noise.
The Ault Field schedule will cover FCLPs and other aircraft carrier based training, not all base operations, so it will not be a comprehensive notice about all jet noise. As at OLF Coupeville, weather conditions and other factors can cause changes from the published schedule.
“Publishing a schedule for practice flights out of Ault Field will be a tool for communities to know when jet noise will pick up, just as the schedule for OLF Coupeville has been. Transparency about flight practice at Ault Field marks more progress on my long-term plan to address people’s concerns about jet noise out of NASWI.
“I have asked the Navy to consider how Growler operations affect local communities, and I appreciate the base’s ongoing work to address these concerns.
“While my support for NASWI remains steadfast, I am also committed to partnering with local officials, community members and the Navy to address the impacts of noise across the north Puget Sound region,” Larsen said.
