Towns fear noise from F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets

http://www.pnj.com/viewart/20130408/NEWS01/304080012/Noise-from-F-35-jets-bothers-residents



Towns fear noise from F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets
Apr. 7, 2013 9:10 PM

VALPARISO — Dive shop manager Bryan Kennington chatted with customers about masks and fins on a recent afternoon over the roar of an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet as it streaked above the downtown Valpariso business.

“That’s the sound of freedom. I love it,” Kennington said. A group of young military men shopping for dive equipment agreed with nods and thumbs-ups.

But not everyone in this town likes the noise created by the jets belonging to Eglin Air Force Base’s new Joint Strike Fighter training squadron. The town sued the Air Force to force those in charge of the sprawling base to mitigate noise from the supersonic and stealth F-35, which is supposed to be adopted by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marines, many NATO countries and other allies.

Valpariso and the Air Force have since settled the dispute with the military, agreeing to some noise-mitigation steps. While not everyone is happy with the results, the fighter pilots and the residents seem to be making things work in part because of a noise committee established after the lawsuit.