BURLINGTON — The Vermont Air National Guard has received 14 formal noise complaints since the arrival of the first two F-35s Sept. 19.
Capt. Mikel Arcovitch, the state public affairs for the Guard, said the Guard had expected more complaints about the noise from the F-35 fighter jets. The 14 complaints came from eight people, he said.
“It was less than we expected,” he said. “They’ve run over 20 missions, and to have a number like this is lower than expected.”
The basing of the F-35s, which are louder than the F16s which previously were based at the airport, has been met with local opposition from those concerned with the increased noise.
A noise map released by the airport in May showed that the number of dwelling units exposed to average noise levels of more than 65 decibels will triple by 2023. Winooski and Williston will be particularly affected.
Arcovitch said he believed the number of complaints reflected the Guard’s efforts to limit the noise as much as possible.
“It’s a good sign that we’re doing everything we can to work with the airport to mitigate the impact of the sound on the community,” he said. “We obviously validate that there is an impact and hopefully this data supports that those efforts are working.”
Pilots will avoid using afterburners, and come in higher and land immediately after reaching the base, instead of circling the area, to lessen noise, pilot Lt. Col. Anthony Marek said in September.
The number of noise complaints has varied over the years but generally decreased in the past couple of years, Arcovitch said. There were 195 complaints in 2015, 152 in 2016, 20 in 2017 and only one last year.
Arcovitch said he was not sure if there was a specific reason for the decrease, noting many variables can lead to a noise complaint.
All noise complaints are formally logged, Arcovitch said, and if there was a drastic increase, the Guard would consider if there could be action taken to address them.
The airport pitched a noise mitigation plan at a meeting last week, in which residents facing higher noise levels due to the arrival of the jets could be eligible for sound insulation at their homes or help selling their homes.
However, the grants from the Federal Aviation Administration will cover only 90% of the $50 million to $80 million, leaving millions in funding up in the air.
The Guard is set to receive two more F-35s in November, Arcovtich said, on top of the two that arrived in September. Two to three more will be delivered each month until the full fleet of 20 is in place next summer.
