A public hearing on an Air Force proposal to allow low-altitude flight training in northern New Mexico drew about 50 people to the Capitol on Thursday and sparked discussion on noise, pollution, alternative energy, property values and even the potential effects on those with chemical sensitivities.

Several attendees were openly critical of the plan to create a low-altitude tactical navigation (LATN) area in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, raising questions about the costs and the need. Even those who prefaced their comments by voicing support of the military expressed concerns about how the flights might negatively impact their way of life.

Only one speaker voiced unequivocal support of the current proposal, which has also drawn opposition via resolutions from several governing bodies, including the Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Taos County Commissions, and the Taos Town Council and Las Vegas City Council.

Col. Stephen Clark, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing that would be doing the flight training out of Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis, gave an overview of the proposal before taking questions.

 

He said the proposal includes approximately three flights per day, almost always after dusk, using C-130 and CV-22 Osprey aircraft.

The pilots are already highly trained but need additional work to prepare for what they might encounter in combat situations, including terrain similar to Afghanistan, he said.

 

"We take this very, very seriously. At the end of the day, these are America's sons and daughters — they're your sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles," he said. "Whatever the relationship is, they're out there, and we're trying to train (them) to reduce the risk of going to combat, so their flying skills are not in question and they now can maneuver away from threats that are coming at them."

 

He said the aircraft are noisiest when taking off and landing but shouldn't be especially loud in the middle of runs. He also said the current proposed LATN is approximately 94,000 square miles for diversity's sake, and individual locations shouldn't consistently have aircraft flying overhead.

 

Clark reiterated that the plan is to avoid low-altitude flying over populous areas — "I will guarantee you we will not be flying over the top of Santa Fe at 200 feet" — and the goal is for the aircraft to be as unobtrusive as possible.

"We're trying to avoid detection," he said. "If you see us or hear us, we failed in our training."

But there were skeptics in the crowd who said they already experience intolerable noise from aircraft within the area, some saying they've had previous problems with Ospreys.

Others stated that flight vibrations were their biggest worry. One speaker from Los Cerrillos pointed out the prevalence of adobe structures in his community — some dating back to the early 1800s — that might not weather vibration well. Another man worried the vibrations could harm the seven earthen flood control dams in the Chimayó area.

 

One speaker said the vibrations, as well as potential pollution, would be detrimental to him and the other 30,000 to 50,000 New Mexicans he estimated suffer from chemical sensitivity disorder. Many come to New Mexico because they're able to find spots where they won't be exposed to pesticides and industrial pollution.

 

"I'm here representing the 50,000 New Mexicans, most of them who are so ill they couldn't come into this room," he said.

All the talk of places the Air Force may want to avoid within the proposed LATN had Charlotte Minter worried about her own community of Youngsville, just east of the Santa Fe National Forest.

"Up there, it's sparsely populated. If you eliminate one place after another, then we'll be left," she said, adding that her area has already seen a recent uptick in loud, disruptive air traffic. "We're very, very concerned about losing — and this is a selfish point of view, obviously — our lack of noise and light pollution. It's very quiet while you sleep, and one of the reasons we went there is for that."

A few speakers also asked questions about how an LATN would affect possible alternative energy development, specifically wind farms.

Clark said wind turbines are actually a benefit to pilots who will have to plan and navigate around or over them as they might any other structures in combat regions. "This proposed LATN has zero impact, we believe, to the wind turbine operation, or renewable energy operation as far as (how) we are going to train to or are proposed to fly," he said.

Some attendees expressed larger-scale criticism of the LATN proposal. Erich Kuerschner of Taos said he didn't believe the Air Force was pursuing enough alternatives to the current proposal. Carol Miller, meanwhile, cited testimony by the Government Accountability Office that indicated alternatives to the V-22 aircraft should be explored.

Richard Robinson, who identified himself as a retired Air Force officer, was the only speaker who didn't raise any concerns or objections to the proposal as he addressed Clark.

"I think there's a lot of people who don't realize that there are folks in this world who want to kill us and do us severe harm. I think the young men and women you have under your command and your air crew, in order to fulfill their duties, need the best and finest training they can get at whatever altitudes are necessary," he said.

The Air Force also held a public meeting in Taos on Thursday night and has meetings in Las Vegas and Raton today.