| Research Paper: Jet Noise: The
Sound of Freedom or Nuisance?
English 111 Fall 2001 Jerreemar W. Tidewater Community College Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia is the most advanced Naval Air Station in the country. Oceana Naval Air Station is home to over 11,000 Navy personnel and 180 F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets jetfighters. There has been much debate over the jet noise, since the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornet jetfighters relocated from Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida to Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in addition to bringing the F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets the jets to the Virginia Beach community it has profited in certain ways for example the military families that move into the community “fill the rental and home markets and boost the economy enough to attract new business” according to Clark and Cohn from the Virginian-Pilot. With the increase in job opportunities and benefits of residential and commercial real estate the question asked is should jet noise really be an issue? Jet noise has been a part of the Hampton Roads area and since the arrival of the jets the economy has grown to benefit Virginia Beach and the surrounding cities. With the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets jetfighters relocating to the Oceana Naval Air Station the city of Virginia Beach and neighboring cities grow physically and financially providing with new jobs and business. In a recent interview with Ordinance Officer LTJG Erwin Sabile, the advantage of the F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets is the “increasing revenue for the city of Virginia Beach.” In an article of the Virginian-Pilot Gerald Divaris of Divaris Real Estate expresses that increasing the number of jetfighters to the Oceana Naval Air Station “will only boost the economy and security”(Clark and Cohn B6). Currently, residential and commercial development encompasses Oceana Naval Air Station however about ten years ago only three quarters surrounded the Naval Air Station. With city leaders permission the residential development continues in the high-noise zone. In reports on the economic importance of the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets to the Hampton Roads area Virginia Beach political leaders will present the strong effect it will have for the city of Virginia Beach if the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet jetfighters would be relocated to another base. If the F-14 Tomcats and F/A-18 Hornets were to relocate to another East Coast facility, the city of Virginia Beach would lose approximately $1 billion a year in economic growth. Oceana Naval Air Station currently exceeds approximately $719 million annually from the economy. Unfortunately, some residents of Virginia Beach believed that the jet noise is a factor that cannot be ignored. Despite Virginia Beach’s economical growth, residents continue to complain about the jet noise coming from Oceana Naval Air Station. Close to 425,000 residents in Virginia Beach live in a high-noise zone and according to Federal Aviation Administration the jet noise for these neighborhoods are “too high”. Federal Aviation Administration issues guidelines for communities to be compliant with levels averaging 65 decibels or less. Webster’s Dictionary defines decibel a “measurement of sound”. A normal conversation may display at 60 decibels and a vacuum cleaner or garbage truck at 80 decibels on the meter. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration implies that “sounds can deafen” and limits employees to work no more than a regular eight hour day with a sound level averaging of 90 decibels. Studies show the decibel of the F-14 Tomcat will increase to 83 decibels at 1,000 feet and the F/A-18 Hornets will record at 108 decibels at 1,000 feet. As the jet noise creates an impact in the high-noise zone community, so will the gain of economic growth with more establishing businesses and military families moving to the area of Virginia Beach. In February 2000, the subject of a “hush house” was discussed to council members to reduce the sound of the engines of the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet jetfighters. The “hush house” facility is a steel and concrete hangar that measures approximately 1,098-square-meter and costs $9.9 million to inhibit the engine noise of the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet jetfighters when being tested on the ground and at any hour. This soundproof facility being one of the solutions the military is utilizing to accommodate the citizens of Virginia Beach. The “hush house” at Oceana Naval Air Station is planned to be completed the fall 2001. Another instance, is the military has attempted to reconstruct the practice runs of the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets, the pilots are to power back on their aircraft for a quieter take off or trying to guide the jetfighters toward the water so the engines would avoid ground contact. “Even if the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets were to practice on Fentress Field as oppose to practicing at Oceana the jets would have to return to Oceana Naval Base because that is where they are housed” Robert Mathias City Manager of Virginia Beach, who also lives in the high-noise zone disclosed in a recent phone interview. In the South Hampton Roads area jet noise has been a part of life. The Neptune Festival Air Show that performs on the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach every year and has attracted a large number of spectators to show off various jets, for example the F-14 Tomcats, F-16 Falcons and the F/A-18 Hornets. These aircrafts perform every year with their “speed, sound” (Woerner 4) and maneuvers that would leave the crowd on the edge of their seats. In Hampton Roads about 120,000 people live near Oceana Naval Air Station’s main runway and many residents have grown accustomed to the occasional jets that pilot over their homes. Chief Dale Hastings, a resident of Virginia Beach and presently aboard the U.S.S. Truman comments that his family “[does not] live in the flight zone” but the loud roaring sounds of jets do fly by. To Chief Hastings and his family the jet noise is “a symbol of freedom” and with that reason he will not complain about the jet noise. In the end, the jet noise to the residents of Virginia Beach has been
a matter of opinion. Some residents of Virginia Beach hear the jets
as being the sound of “freedom” and others complain it is a nuisance.
In fact, the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornet jetfighters have relocated
to the Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach, Virginia and will remain.
For the residents who continue to complain that the jet noise is an issue,
the fact of the matter is the economical growth the F-14 Tomcat and the
F/A-18 Hornet jetfighter squadrons have produced for the Virginia Beach
city. The community of Virginia Beach and the surrounding communities
have increased with job opportunities and the businesses have financially
enhanced for the area. The symbol of “freedom” does not only lie
with the United States flag flying high with its Red, White and Blue, but
in the roaring sound of the jet engines that soar through the skies of
the F-14 Tomcats and the F/A-18 Hornets. Let freedom roar.
Works Cited Clark and Meredith Cohn. “More Jets Should Make Real Estate Fly.” The
Virginian-Pilot June 1998:B6.
Eisman, Dale. “Beach Leaders Make Their Case to Land New F/A-18 at Oceana.”
The Virginian-Pilot 11 October 2001 <http://www.pilotonline.com/military/ml1011noi.html>.
Landoll, Inc. “Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus.” (New Revised and
Expanded Edition)
Riley, Clint. “Developing Problem At Oceana. Homes Built Despite
Noise, Crash Threat Land Use Based On Incorrect Information.” The Virginian-Pilot.
10 September 2001, pp A1.
Woerner, Barbara J. “Speed, Sound and Thrills Spectators Packed The
Parking Lots At Oceana Naval Air Station To Watch The 1998 Neptune Festival
Air Show Last Weekend. A Wine Tasting And The Sandman triathlon Were Popular.”
Virginian-Pilot Virginia Beach Beacon. 25 September 1998, pp 04.
Acknowledgments
|