Letter: Reroute MCAS flight patterns

The decision to bring F-35B training to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort was something that was widely supported in our community. But in the excitement, something was forgotten — how the increase in air operations would affect the people living north of the Broad River.

Take a look, for example, at the latest Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (AICUZ) map prepared for MCAS Beaufort in conjunction with the arrival of the F-35B. It shows that more than 2,224 acres of residential land surrounding our air station are now in an Accident Potential Zone (APZ), which designates an area of greater risk of aircraft accidents. This area includes hundreds of homes in the eastern portion of Grays Hill and in Pleasant Point.

According to the Department of Defense instructions, homes in APZs should be on at least one acre. Mobile home parks, multiple-family dwellings, and places where residents gather, such as churches and community centers, should not be in Accident Potential Zones at all. Grays Hill, Pleasant Point, and other areas near the air station clearly include homes and communities that are incompatible with these instructions.

Why not adjust flight operations to avoid flying over the developed and populated areas surrounding the air station, as the air station has done to avoid flying over downtown Beaufort? This certainly would be of help, particularly for those living in the APZs.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Letter: Reroute MCAS flight patterns."