Letter: Questions about current Growler flights ignored

Editor,

In response to the Sound Off by Capt. Matt Arny, Sept. 18 Whidbey News-Times, which suggests that the Navy is willing to answer questions about what it is doing and its plans regarding the growler flights over Central Whidbey.

This message sounds promising, as each time I have phoned the community liaison number or the comments line, there has been no response to my calls to date.

Zero.

As directed in the recorded message for those phone numbers, I have provided both our address and phone number with a clear and respectful inquiry. My question pertains to the noticeable increase in random altitude and directional flights over our neighborhood. I have wondered about this since the proposed increases in the frequency of growler test flights has not yet been implemented—at least as far as I know.

Our home is located in an area which is clearly set apart of any previous flight patterns, according to the published map, which has recently been taken off the Navy website.

When we purchased our home, a little over a year ago, we specifically referenced this map showing the growler flights with corresponding decibel levels.

A selling point of our home was that it was not anywhere close to these Growler flight patterns, nor had it been something that the neighborhood had been previously concerned about. We did our research before buying our home. Given that we had already owned property subject to intense growler noise levels, we knew that we would not choose to reside in an area that would include such flyovers.

It’s important to note that we understand the importance of test flights and support our nation’s military. We, also, pay a lot in taxes and in particular, property taxes. So, as American citizens, we believe we are on the same team, so to speak, as the Navy. We simply wish to understand the intention of the Navy in allowing pairs of growlers to fly at both high & lower altitudes over our home, sometimes to the north, sometimes to the south, or even directly overhead. We have wondered if some of the pilots are taking shortcuts as these flyovers seem somewhat erratic. We have wondered why our questions about these current growler flights appear to have been ignored thus far.

We understand that we are not alone in our confusion about what is going on, let alone the myriad of sincere concerns which may affect Island County as a whole going forward.

Teri Jo Reiger

Coupeville