Editor,

I am submitting this letter in response to complaints about the noise made by Navy jets practicing carrier-type landings at the Outlying Field in Coupeville.

As former Naval aviator, I am well-aware of the intense practice that is crucial, in order for pilots to do the real thing — actual landings on an aircraft carrier — landings which keep pilot and aircraft in one piece.

I am also familiar with the noise which, of necessity, the jets make while pilots practice at an OLF.

Many of the letters I have read are well-written and polite in tone, they include detailed complaints about the noise — often relating personal experience, some quoting data about the noise.

However, very few propose reasonable solutions for eliminating the noise. An old saying: “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re just part of the pollution.”

So, letter-writers, let’s hear some reasonable solutions. Priorities should be the safety of Naval aviators who practice a dangerous profession, putting their lives on the line for all of us.

Another consideration — funding. A viable solution must be cheap, especially now, with recent cuts in defense spending.

Finally, a precaution: be careful of what you wish for! In response to limited funding, and perhaps in response to noise complaints, the Defense Department could elect to close OLF and even the naval air station.

That would not only adversely effect training. It would also have a disastrous impact on the local economy and thus the well-being of people who live here.

Some of these people might even be those who have complained.

What a sad irony that would be.

John Close
Oak Harbor