Marine Corps Air Station Miramar held an open house on Friday for the new F-35C. The next generation fighter will slowly replace the signature F-18, which has dominated the local skies.
“The F-35 really increases the lethality and the capability of Marine aviation at large,” said Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, Aircraft Wing Commanding General.
A second fighter was also scheduled to arrive at the base. With the new plane, the Marines are updating its plan for airspace around Miramar. The Air Installations Compatible Use Zones Study was last updated in 2005. The Marines are predicting that the F-35 won’t increase the noise levels dramatically, according to Col. Charles Dockery, commanding officer, MCAS Miramar
“When you look at a plane departing Miramar, if it was to compare F-35 to F-18 it’s about a 1 to 3 decibel difference, depending on if you compare it to an F-18 or and F-16 or and AV-8,” he said.
Neighbors in nearby University City remain wary. In 2008 a fighter crashed into their neighborhood. Ron Belanger was there.
“And I knew what had happened. I went under my desk and the whole house vibrated when it hit about a half block away,” he said.
Their concerns aren’t necessarily centered on the new fighter, but the safety when they see planes in their neighborhood.
“We knew what we signed up for, but what we didn’t sign up for is the ones at the top of the palm trees going 400 miles an hour,” he said.
In the decade since the accident, Belanger says communication has improved, especially with elected officials.
Matty Wuest, resident of University City, still routinely submits complaints to the air station about planes flying low over the neighborhood.
“We’re residents, we live here, but there is a middle school, high school, elementary school all within one mile of this location," he said. "And we have lots of temples and churches as well. It’s just a danger and it causes anxiety.”
Dockery said the Marines flights are controlled by the FAA, which decides where pilots fly. The study did not recommend any changes in land uses around Miramar. The draft plan is now on its way to the Pentagon for final approval.
The Marines announced Thursday that Lt. Col. Ralph Featherstone was removed as commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225 for flying too low during and at too high a speed during a demonstration at Miramar. Iiams said he would not comment further on the incident.
