Photo courtesy of the United States Airforce.
According to the Long Beach Airport (LGB), five F/A-18 aircraft owned by the U.S. Marine Corps will be undergoing training operations at the Airport starting Friday and continuing through Tuesday, February 17. F/A-18s are much louder than any aircraft that normally operate at LGB and are exempt from noise regulation, according to the Airport.
LGB anticipates the aircraft will be operating between 8:00AM and 5:00PM, in consideration of the nearby community. According to the Airport, the military has been responsive to community concerns and will use noise abatement procedures, such as minimizing their use of afterburners and modifying takeoff and landing times.
In a November 2014 interview, LGB spokeswoman Stephanie Montuya-Morisky told the Post that “as a public use commercial airport, Long Beach Airport has the equipment and runway length needed for the safe operation of these aircraft.”
“As part of our nation’s transportation system,” she continued, “we accept federal funding to keep the airport as safe and operationally efficient as possible. LGB does not operate with any local tax revenue. Since the Airport is a Federal Aviation Administration funding recipient, we are obligated, per federal regulations, to be open to government aircraft 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These aircraft include Air Force One, The Coast Guard, The Postal Service and all branches of the military. This is standard for most of the airports in the United States.”