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Published: 16 August 2018 16 August 2018

[Editor's Note: This is the first of a multi-series of articles covering the Grant County Commission work sessions on Tuesday, Aug. 14, and regular meeting on Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

At the Tuesday, Aug. 14, work session, commissioners heard a presentation from U.S. Air Force Col. (retired) Susan Beck, who now lives in Grant County.

She said she had heard so much confusion and misleading information on the proposal by U.S. Air Force Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to train pilots by flying over the Gila National Forest and Wilderness, that she took it upon herself to talk to Air Force officials to get correct information.

"I made a trip to Holloman Air Force Base on June 6," Beck said. "I have firm information and updates. I met with some of the commissioners before and after the trip.

"There is a pilot shortage in the Air Force," Beck said. "They are 2,000 pilots short. Half of them are F-16 pilots. It is crucial to catch up the shortage. Commercial airlines offer bonuses and a better operations tempo, with pilots being able to stay home. Air Force pilots have to go overseas."

She said the goal for the Air Force is to train 300 pilots a year. Holloman is not an operational base, but is a training base, with staff of about 70 to 80. Holloman is responsible for remotely piloted aircraft training for MQ-9 operation and maintenance training. It gains responsibility for F-16 training in October 2018.

"Holloman is not doing the NEPA process," Beck explained. "It is being done by the Air Force at the Pentagon."

Beck reported the 54th Fighter Group would merge under the 49th Wing at Holloman, with the 49th Wing realigned to air education and training command.

Older F-16 C and D aircraft will be used for training. The C is a single cockpit and the D a dual cockpit plane, both decertified for combat. They have Pratt and Whitney engines, which have less thrust than newer F-16s.

Training will include basic flight maneuvers to complex missions. She said low-level training is rare, because surface-to-air missile systems have become more capable. Supersonic training will occur only at or above 30,000 feet in specific airspace. Night training will comprise about 10 percent of the training and will not be low-level. She noted that other aircraft may train with F-16s, but it will primarily be F-16s.

"I stayed overnight at Holloman," Beck said. "I could hear them take off, but never heard them flying or landing."

She confirmed that about 10,000 sorties are needed annually for the F-16 training. The numbers could be slightly higher because of gaps in pilot proficiency, unsuccessful sorties due to airspace limitations and weather. She confirmed there would likely be deployment of chaff and flares. Chaff consists of glass/aluminum strips deployed from a cardboard box. The flares are aluminum canisters of flammable material, which are released at 20,000 feet or above. "Training flare burn out quicker than combat flares. They are supposed to burn out by 2,000 feet. There is a possibility of duds that land."

"Holloman has concerns about fire also," Beck reported. "They do not use flares when fire danger is moderate to high. They can train without releasing flares."

Current airspace used for Holloman's F-16 training include the Talon military operations area (MOA), Beak MOA and Centennial Range in McGregor MOA at Fort Bliss, as well as White Sands Missile Range (WSMR).

"Right now, Holloman has no F-16 training over the Gila," Beck said. She showed a map of the current air space used by Cannon AFB, Holloman AFC, the New Mexico Air National Guard and the Arizona Air National Guard.

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She said she thinks the Cannon AFB air space is optimized.

"No one can do ordinance drops except in WSMR or the Centennial Range at Fort Bliss," Beck said.

She noted that Holloman's MOAs do not handle all F-16 training. "The airspace was designed for operational aircraft with different missions and capabilities that did not include training.

White Sands Missile Range's primary mission is to develop and test for the Army, Navy, Air Force, NASA and other government agencies and contractors. "All training missions, including F-16s are secondary, so WSMR's mission can present challenges for F-16 training. WSMR's scheduling is not computerized, but the Air Force will be customizing software for the range later this year."

Beck said WSMR, along with Talon and Beak MOAs, are the most favorable for Holloman's F-16 training but may need additional areas. "That's why Headquarters Air Force ( HAF) has taken on the optimization project. HAF is reviewing all ranges and missions. Any changes fall under NEPA."

Two alternatives are being considered for Holloman. Alternative 1 is to expand the Talon MOA. Alternative 2 is to expand the Cato/Smitty MOA and add the Lobos MOA. The latter would include the Gila. The goal of the optimization project is to ensure all F-16 training is accommodated, maximize training time, minimize transit time and limit impacts to civil aviation.

Beck said Alternative 2 cuts off some airspace in the Cato/Smitty area, used by the New Mexico National Guard and reshapes it southeastward and adds the Lobos airspace, which has not yet had its boundaries determined.

"The original projected NEPA timeline said a draft EIS would be coming in August," Beck said. "I'm not seeing it. HAF is still in the scoping process and comments are still being received. They are expecting a delay of possibly three months to as much as six months. Grant County Commission's input would be timely now."

Commissioner Harry Browne said he is confused about airspace optimization. "I assume it is based on pilots and their needs. Lobos is still undefined, which seems to me to contradict public scoping."

"It's a large airspace," Beck said. "The Valentine MOA in southwest Texas is for super-sonic operations and is only a small part of the F-16 training. Holloman wants to minimize travel time. As for the Lobos MOA, yes, we need to let the Air Force know what needs to be avoided. People at Holloman tell me to have you tell them what lies below, for instance the Gila Cliff Dwellings. I don't think the Air Force is clear as to what lies in the proposed area."

Commission Chairman Billy Billings asked how many pilots being trained are American and how many foreign.

"All the Air Force F-16 pilots are American," Beck said. "This is their initial training and upgrading. Then they can go to combat training.

"Other research I've been doing," Beck said, "is to determine the current trainings flying over Grant County. The Arizona Air National Guard flies out of Tucson International Airport. The 162nd Wing has three F-16 squadrons, with one training squadron. Eighty F-16s are currently based there. Their mission is the education and flight training of ANG and international F-16 air crews. They have been training pilots from 25 different counties, including the Netherlands and Iraq, which are still training there. Others include Norway, Singapore and Japan. They fly over the Reserve and Morenci MOAs. Arizona has lots of airspace use. The Rustler is over the Gila, with 2,460 sorties a year.

"I'm going to Tucson to visit the commander," Beck said. "I have some specific questions. I would like to understand more about what they are doing. For instance, what kind of training are they flying low-level when they are not supposed to?"

She said the Air Force is doing an environmental assessment to evaluate moving a Taiwan Air Force F-16 squadron from Luke AFB in Phoenix to Tucson ANG base.

The draft EA was issued in June 2018, with comments due on July 31, 2018. The Iraq Air Force will be departing Tucson ANG base, where Taiwan will base 14 F-16s, and will continue to use the same airspace as the Iraq AF did. Total annual sorties for the Taiwan Air Force will be 6,459. Total annual sorties for all F-16s at Tucson ANG will be 31,723. The Federal Aviation Administration has given permission for up to 40,000 sorties.

Beck said the reason for moving the Taiwan AF is because the newest U.S. Air Force aircraft, the F-35s, are moving to Luke AFB.

She noted that other possible flying operations over Grant County may come from Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, which she also plans to visit, as well as Davis-Monthan AFB, which could also yield more information.

"Those over the Mimbres may be from Kirtland," Beck said. "The Holloman training is key to addressing the pilot shortage and will optimize the training. The need is to get pilots trained and in and out in a year."

Commissioner Brett Kasten apologized for the blinking of the visual presentation. "We thank you for your technical help on the resolution."

"I appreciated the opportunity to help," Beck said.

Commissioner Gabriel Ramos echoed the appreciation for Beck's help.

The next article will address public input at the regular work session.