Despite Opponents' Efforts, F-35s Still Scheduled for Burlington

Citizen efforts to halt the arrival of the F-35 fighter jets appear to have come up short.

Secretary of the U.S. Air Force Heather Wilson confirmed this week that the planes are still on schedule to arrive at Burlington International Airport next year.

The letter dated May 22 from Wilson to Mayor Miro Weinberger came in response to a city council resolution that requested the Air Force find a new mission for the Vermont Air National Guard. The resolution also included a series of questions about the safety and noise of the planes.

The Air Force's response? The basing is a done deal.

"This decision was finalized in 2013 after a 48-month review which assessed 205 locations and concluded that the Burlington International Airport was the best Air National Guard option," Wilson wrote in a letter to Weinberger. "If that decision were to be reversed, the Vermont Air National Guard would likely lose their flying mission upon the retirement of the F-16s."

Read more: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/OffMessage/archives/2018/05/24/despite-opponents-efforts-f-35s-still-scheduled-for-burlington