Winooski area residents are once again voicing their objections to the F-35 fighter jets, this time telling a group of Vermont Air National Guard representatives that regular flights from a local air base have seriously undermined their quality of life.
Appearing Tuesday night at a meeting of the Winooski City Council, more than two dozen speakers complained that the planes’ thundering noise is affecting their hearing and mental health, and increasing their worries over what would happen if an F-35 were to crash in the most populous region of Vermont.
The speakers, all of whom expressed their frustration with the jets based at Burlington International Airport, addressed councilors and three Air Guard members for more than three hours, in person and remotely.
The majority of those who spoke focused on their concern about how the sound could be damaging children’s hearing, mental health and ability to focus, and how much it is disrupting classroom learning.
“I have witnessed F-35s flying over Landry Park on a beautiful sunny afternoon,” Winooski resident Camille Clark said. “It was extremely painful to watch about 25 kids putting their hands on their ears and grimacing.”
The Lockheed Martin-manufactured F-35s can reach up to 115 decibels of noise, according to the Air Force. That’s almost the equivalent of standing next to sirens and can cause hearing loss in less than two minutes. Exposure to noise above 70 decibels for an extended period of time can damage hearing, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s information on noise and hearing loss.
“Exposure to loud noise kills the nerve endings in our inner ear,” the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration wrote on its website. “The result is permanent hearing loss that cannot be corrected through surgery or with medicine.”
The F-35 stealth fighter, the centerpiece of the U.S. military’s air forces and the costliest defense program ever, began arriving at the airport in South Burlington about two years ago as a replacement for the F-16. The full complement of 20 jets is now in place, with planes going on training runs twice a day, four days a week. They also make occasional runs at night and on weekends.
The residents who spoke at Tuesday’s meeting directed most of their gripes at three representatives from the Vermont National Air Guard: Col. Adam Rice, vice commander of the 158th Fighter Wing; Maintenance Group Commander Dan Finnegan, a command pilot; and
Environmental Manager Shannon Kelly.
For the most part, the representatives responded by saying that the guard is mitigating adverse impacts as much as possible while sticking with the core role it has been assigned.
“As far as noise mitigation, we understand that our flying operations affect the community, and we continue to mitigate that impact as much as possible while fulfilling our federal flying mission responsibilities that we’ve been entrusted with,” Rice said, reading from a prepared statement provided by Col. Dave Shevchick, commander of the Vermont National Air Guard. “We’ve adjusted takeoffs and landings to lessen noise, and even adjusted flight patterns to accommodate for local outdoor events when community partners have requested.”
“Later this year we expect the [Federal Aviation Administration] to implement sound-proofing measures, which will enhance resident’s quality of life,” Rice said.
The guard representatives declined to answer a number of questions posed by community members. They said they would respond at a later date in writing once they had gathered more information.
Several speakers touched on how the planes disturb daily activity and make them feel as though they need to leave the community they love.
Some directed their dismay at U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who played a key role in getting the jets placed in Vermont, according to reporting by VTDigger.
“You’re not my opposition. My opposition is Sen. Leahy and all the politicians that cover for him. We all know he is serving nothing more than Lockheed lobbyists and ignoring the people of Vermont,” James Ehlers of Winooski, a former candidate for governor and the Vermont Legislature, told the three guard members.
“I can’t have a happy life in this community anymore,” said Terry Zigmund, who has lived in Winooski for 22 years. “I endured the noise and disruptions that the F-16s caused in my life and paid attention when the F-35s were considered to be based here. I knew how much louder they would be. Nothing has prepared me for the stress I now suffer.”
Bobby Arnell, who recently moved out of Winooski to escape the noise, said he feels that the community has little say in the F-35 matter.
“I would like to see our elected representatives hold the guard accountable,” he said. “I would like to see some of the concerns that we have taken into consideration and real change take place.”
Finnegan, the command pilot, said the guard tries to take steps to lessen the impact of the flights, including adjusting flight patterns and approaching landing from the highest altitude possible.
“We try to reduce the amount of noise to the extent that we can by trying to control our operations,” he said. “We try to release [information about] when we’re flying in general terms.”
In an interview before the meeting, Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott said not everyone in the area is bothered by the jets.
“For a lot of people, there is anger, and it is harmful to their experience,” she said. “There are people who don’t prefer it but accept it. Others aren’t bothered at all.”
A few of those who spoke out against the fighter jets prefaced their remarks by thanking the Air National Guard and the military for their efforts to keep the nation safe. They said their frustration rests exclusively with the placement of the jets that regularly roar over the area.
“This is not a comment on the military or the F-35 itself, but it shouldn’t be in such a densely populated area,” said Sam Russo, a primary care provider in Winooski who expressed serious concern about the impact of the noise on cognitive function in children.
The Air Guard representatives pointed to mitigation efforts that are being undertaken to reduce noise inside residences, including a request from Leahy’s office for Federal Aviation Administration funding to insulate homes. Several community members, however, scoffed at that plan, arguing the assistance will come slowly and never protect playgrounds, sidewalks, parks and other outdoor areas.
“The noise mitigation plan is a farce, and it’s an insult,” Ehlers said, eliciting applause from those seated behind him.
Winooski voters in March approved a ballot item urging the guard to halt the training flights in densely populated cities like theirs. But the vote produced no real results on the ground, and the F-35s continue to receive support from state officials.
“The Air National Guard is one of Vermont’s most essential and valuable state assets — both in terms of security and our economy,” Gov. Phil Scott said in a letter to Winooski Mayor Lott last month. “Having the F-35 based here supports good paying jobs, strengthens our position in the aerospace economy, and helps us recruit equipment suppliers and manufacturers.”
The guard provides 3,500 jobs to Vermonters, Scott said.
Proponents of the program contend that the Vermont Air National Guard, known as the Green Mountain Boys, would have no actual defense role without the F-35s.
In a 2018 interview with VPR, Leahy said that he and the rest of the state’s Congressional delegation — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt. — supported the F-35’s arrival “because there will be no mission for the Vermont Air National Guard if it’s not the F-35.”
