Letter: Outlying landing field would help all

In response to a recent letter to the editor about the “sound of freedom,” it strikes me that an outlying landing field (OLF) might actually help keep our base here.

I’ve understood that years of effort to secure 30,000-plus acres for the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort’s bombing range was recently completed by the Military Enhancement Committee to make the base more “BRAC-proof,” that is to help ensure it against “Base Realignment and Closure,” during the next such effort in Washington.

Doesn’t the same logic apply to adding an OLF? Wouldn’t an OLF allow our planes to have more freedom to practice take-offs and landings unimpeded by noise complaints (which I gather are increasing in number)? It seems that all of us who want our base to prosper, would also want to add as many assets as possible to it, before Washington engages in the next “BRAC,” sometime in the next few years.

That would mean there is a real upside to signing the petition for the OLF. An OLF could be a real win-win for the entire economy of our fair Beaufort, by supporting our base and its people, while also supporting the growth of our other industries, such as tourism, real estate, and housing construction. This seems like something the entire community could support.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 8:36 AM with the headline "Letter: Outlying landing field would help all."