Opponents of Navy landing strip gear up

[unhappycamper]

Opponents of Navy landing strip gear up
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Feb 17, 2009 15:26:13 EST

NORFOLK, Va. — Residents of rural communities in southeast Virginia and northeastern North Carolina are building their case against the Navy’s plan to construct a jet landing strip in their backyard.

The proposed $200 million outlying landing field primarily would serve as a practice area for fighter pilots based at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach.

The Navy abandoned plans to build the OLF in Washington County, N.C., after opponents successfully sued the service for breaching the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. It’s now considering three Virginia sites, in Surry, Southampton and Sussex counties, one in Gates County, N.C., and another North Carolina site on the border of Camden and Currituck counties.

Pilots of F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets now prepare for night carrier landings at Oceana and Fentress Auxiliary Landing Field in Chesapeake, both of which have been encircled by suburban development. The Navy contends that it needs another strip to relieve the pressure on Oceana and Fentress.

The Navy is expected to release results of its preliminary environmental studies of the sites this summer, but community residents aren’t waiting until then to make their opposition known.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/ap_navy_landing_field_021709/%2e

[Captain Hilts]

1. Hasn't there been one out there for years? Fentress? The Navy should have bailed...

on Oceana a long time ago because of encroachment. Moved to Cherry Point.