The Navy’s transition from the P-3C Orion airplane to the P-8A will decrease the number of military personnel needed to operate the aircraft.

A scoping open house was held Thursday in Oak Harbor to educate the public and allow for written comments on the Navy’s plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

The in-depth EIS document will evaluate the potential impacts of introducing the P-8A Multi-Mission Aircraft to the military fleet.

The study will include potential impacts to numerous resources, including air quality, socioeconomics, wetlands, and noise.

Whidbey Island Naval Air Station is one of several bases being considered as a detachment site. It’s considered a likely location for the new plane, as it will replace the P-3 Orion which is already based at Whidbey.

Open houses have already been held in Jacksonville, Fla., Coronado, Calif., and Kaneohe and Honolulu, Hawaii. Nine alternatives are being evaluated for the EIS study, which proposes placing from three to seven squadrons at NAS Whidbey. The ninth alternative is for “no action.”

“That would mean the program, as written, would not go through,” said Jan Brandt, who works for the private consultant contracted to carry out the study.

Capt. Michael Szostak also attended the open house, along with other Navy representatives and employees of the private consultant firm. He said the first planes would be delivered in 2011 and personnel familiar with the P-3 would then be trained.

The first P-8 squadrons should be deployed in 2013, although the sites of their deployment are literally up in the air.

“That decision as far as where they’re going to be homeported is yet to be made,” Szostak said.

The P-8A is a Boeing 737 derivative superior to its predecessor in technology and specifications.

“The P-3 was an airliner in the late 1950s,” the captain said of the antiquated aircraft.

As a commercial aircraft variant, replacement parts for the P-8 will be readily available worldwide, Szostak said, effectively saving money and increasing reliability. It will continue its predecessor’s mission, which includes armed anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, intelligence and homeland defense.

The new aircraft would cut the necessary crew from 11 people to nine. NAS Whidbey currently houses three assigned P-3C squadrons, 340 military personnel per squadron.

By comparison, the P-8A would only require 160. EIS team member Dan Duquette said the decrease is maintenance-related.

“All the maintenance will be supported by contractors,” he said. “Even though there’s fewer active-duty military in the squadron, there are contractors who would come to do maintenance on the airplanes.”

Szostak said the Navy is going to use a performance-based contract with Boeing, specifying that the company meet the flight schedule every day.

“We don’t care how many people we have maintaining them,” the captain said. “We just want to have our schedule met. Boeing has stated that they think they can substitute out the 3,500-plus uniform, which is 900-plus contractors. The Navy’s not going to specify how many contractors we need. If Boeing can get by with one-fourth the people, that’s great. If they can’t meet the flight schedule, then there’s obviously a contract issue.”

A smattering of community members toured the walkthrough presentation Thursday and chatted with the EIS team before submitting their written comments. In the other communities where open houses were held, Szostak said the primary concern was noise. Oak Harbor was no different.

“My main concern is noise impact,” said Cyril Greig, who lives in an area currently unaffected by jet noise. “The aircraft that do fly over occasionally are just fine with us; the sound of freedom. But not the screaming Prowlers. I don’t think this will affect us. I’m familiar with the sound patterns of the 737-800. They shouldn’t be much louder than the P-3.”

Szostak said the aircraft will use the same engine as the 737, therefore people familiar with airport noise shouldn’t find the P-8A too off-putting. Additionally, with the increased capability, fewer aircraft will be needed.

“You have a P-3 force of about 150-plus airplanes right now,” he said. “We’ll only need 100 or less.”

Rita Peterson of Oak Harbor attended the meeting, not with concerns, but with interest.

“We just wanted to find out if there was going to be a change in the runways,” she said. “We never hear the planes. We’re in a sound shadow, so they’re all taking off in a direction out to sea. They told us they’re going to use the same runways.”

Public comments for the EIS will be accepted until March 2. Comments can be mailed to: Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, 6506 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23508-1278, Attn: MMA PM. Comments may also be provided by fax at 757-322-4894.

All of the information presented at Thursday’s meeting is available online at www.MMAEIS.com. Comments can be sent via the Web site.

“Every comment will be read and considered,” Duquette said. “Somebody might have a unique concern. That’s the kind of thing we’re looking for, something we haven’t thought of.”

The EIS crew should be back in Oak Harbor around February of next year for a public hearing. The “record of decision” should be ready by December, 2008.