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JAMES KOEGEL
Canisteo, N.Y,
Regarding The Express' article, "Commissioners galvanize opposition to military flights" of Dec. 30, 2021, there are some important additional details should be noted in considering the bigger picture.
While certainly the noise from an overflying military aircraft is loud, it's highly arguable that it will have impacts as serious as some seem to believe.
This noise, when it occurs, is brief in duration and infrequent. Should nearby residents have the false impression that these are simply weekend warriors out having fun on the government dime, note that nothing could be further from the truth.
The men and women selected to fly modern high-performance military aircraft of all types are the epitome of professionalism and skill.
Yet, attainment of this skill and performance level is not a one-time event.
Flying a military aircraft demands constant and never ending practice and proficiency to maintain the absolutely flawless performance required in the most demanding of all professions.
The most critical phases of military ,or any flight, are those which occur close to the ground, whether the operation is reconnaissance, combat, or search and rescue.
The only way to hone these skills is in actual flight. Anything less than total proficiency may well determine the success of a mission, as well as survival of the crew, and others depending on them.
Just as there are no atheists in foxholes, so too are there no noise complaints. Consider that in every conflict since the dawn of aviation, low-flying aircraft and helicopters have been a major factor in the successful outcome of the conflict.
Rather than fear the highly unlikely detrimental effects as voiced, try looking skyward with intense pride at those who are part of a long tradition in maintaining the freedoms we enjoy.
So long as the MOA's are coordinated with the civilian Federal Aviation Administration to maximize the safe use of airspace for all, there is no reason this proposal should not go forward.
It baffles me that those who condemn any threat to the pristine region of Northern Pennsylvania seem indifferent to the growing advance of wind "farms" blighting the very same area.
Jet noise lasts for seconds.
A far more serious, but insidious threat to the ecological balance of the region, windmills will be here for decades, or likely longer, and in many cases are left abandoned to rot when obsolete.
As a lifelong conservationist and former commercial pilot, I see both sides of this issue.
I urge the citizens and officials of Clinton County to reconsider their opinions.