December 21, 2014 through January 1, 2015
— from Mike Welding, Public Affairs Officer —
Graphic NOT copyright U.S. Navy. A purely Orcas Issues greeting.
Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP) operations for aircraft stationed at NAS Whidbey Island are not scheduled to occur at the Outlying Field (OLF) in Coupeville, Wash., from Dec. 21, 2014 through Jan. 1, 2015. Schedule is subject to change to meet mission requirements.
The FCLP tempo is driven by the Fleet Replacement Squadron student training curriculum and pre-deployment carrier EA-18G Growler squadron flight qualifications. It can also fluctuate due to weather, maintenance and operational requirements.
Flight schedules for OLF Coupeville will continue to be released weekly for community planning purposes. Comments, including noise complaints can be directed to NAS Whidbey Island’s comment line at (360) 257-6665, or via e-mail: comments.NASWI@navy.mil. All other questions can be directed to NAS Whidbey Island Public Affairs Office at (360) 257-2286.
The Navy’s OLF at Coupeville is a critical national security asset that provides essential training for Navy pilots based at NAS Whidbey Island to conduct safe and effective aircraft carrier flight operations around the world.
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I guess that today I feel a little differently about the growler noise. Yesterday I was in Anacortes to see my cardiologist and while waiting in the waiting room I met a talked with a very nice young Navy man from Whidby Island. He was there getting checked out because he wanted to go overseas to serve and he couldn’t get clearance to go because his father had a heart attack at age 32! This young man was so sweet and so sincere and not worried about himself but just wanted to serve! I only rarely come in contact with military folks and I am not usually this favorably impressed! He was telling us how it makes him feel so proud when the jets go overhead. Well…what can I tell you! Merry