F-35 Lightning. "They are tearing down old hangars and building new ones to house the jet."
"It's really University City where they are in after-burner mode."
There may be a shift in the military aircraft noise from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, this week and in the long term, base commander Col. Jason Woodworth told the Mira Mesa Planning Group Monday night.
"Folks along Genessee and around the 805 will get more noise than Mira Mesa."
"I assure you - and the general does too - the aircraft that are flying are still meeting the exacting standards before military use," Woodworth said.
According to the base community plans and liaison officer, there will be increased flight operation at the air station due to troop deployments.
"Those living and working near MCAS Miramar may notice large, heavy aircraft (contracted 777, 747s and 767s) departing," the announcement says.
The base gets a half dozen noise complaints a day, a duty officer said. Miramar is an air base open every day all day, Woodworth said, but the Marines tend to fly between 8 am and 12:30 am, with the last two hours part of the 'modified quiet' approach.
"Our pilots need night training as much if not more than day training," Woodworth said.
The command is preparing for the arrival of the F-35 — Lightnings, in the trade language. They are tearing down old hangars and building new ones to house the jet, which ultimately will replace the FA-18. For now, the Marine air base at Yuma has several of the F-35s.
Miramar is home to the 3rd Marine Air Wing, pilots and crews who fly FA-18 Hornets, KC-130s, the MV-22 Osprey, and the KC-130 Hercules.
"The current pattern for decibel levels will stay about the same," Woodworth said. "The sound is different — It's a different craft with a different sound." Much of the noise occurs in University City, he said, and base complaint counts show that's where most of the complaints come from. "It's really University City where they are in after-burner mode," he said. "Folks along Genessee and around the 805 will get more noise than Mira Mesa."
The transition to the F-35s is expected to take 11 years, starting in 2020 and going to 2031, he said.