On the F-35s: Some locals disturbed by test flights

An F-35 fighter jet takes off from Burlington International Airport. Photo by Jenny Koppang.

Winooski resident Colton Thomas often finds himself fleeing inside as eight thundering F-35 fighter jets roar over two or three times a week. His apartment, just blocks from the center of town, is situated directly under the training flight zone for the Air National Guard’s F-35 jets stationed at Burlington International Airport as of late 2019. 

“It feels like there's more care and concern put towards the military than towards the people who live in Chittenden County and Winooski specifically,” said Thomas. “The F-35s represent an expression of militarism and a stranglehold over the community.”

Sharing similar sentiments, Retired Air Force Colonel Rosanne Greco is a former Chair of South Burlington City Council and a tireless spokesperson at the head of the anti-F-35 movement. 

“It's a horrible weapons system in general and a huge waste of taxpayer dollars because it's a weapons system that's not needed. It can't really protect us from the current threats that we face,” Colonel Greco said. 

Formerly neutral to the presence of the F-35s, Greco said her opinion changed upon reading the Air Force’s Environmental Impact Statement on the jets.

“It was clear in the statement that this plane did not belong in a residential neighborhood like Burlington, Vermont.” Greco said. 

As first-generation aircrafts, the F-35s are highly susceptible to crashing, according to Greco.  

“When they are in the beginning years, after they've been through testing and development, they tend to crash much more frequently than planes that have been flying for a long time.” Greco said. “There is a physical danger we run if we live around the airport.”

Not only do these fighter jets run a great risk of crashing in a densely populated area, but Greco said the Vermont Air National Guard intends to arm the F-35s with nuclear weapons. 

“Right now, the aircraft does not have the physical capability [to carry nuclear weapons], but they're making progress on it,” Greco said. 

According to Colonel Greco, the ability to harbor weapons of mass destruction would render the F-35s, and therefore the surrounding areas, vulnerable to attack.

“This means we are immediately targets to our nuclear enemies,” Greco said. “Governments’ nuclear powers target the delivery vehicle, the aircraft, not necessarily the nuclear weapons themselves.”

Marguerite Adelman, a staunch member of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in Vermont, echoed Greco’s apprehension about the possible armament of the F-35s.

“As a Peace Organization, our initial concerns were heavily based around trying to stop the F-35s from coming because of their ability to carry nuclear weapons,” Adelman said. 

Adelman said that the Federal Aviation Administration claimed the aircrafts would produce sound at 65 decibels, a safe rate, but that this data is unreliable.

“The sound maps were not drawn based on the actual sounds of a F-35, but a simulated sound study. We have actually recorded the F-35 at 120 decibels, which is extremely dangerous and way too high,” Adelman said. 

Colonel Greco further noted the grave and long-term health implications induced by the noise caliber of the fighter jets. According to Greco, they can do more than damage hearing. 

“The reverberations are affecting your heart and other internal organs. What is really sad is that children are far more susceptible to this,” Greco said. 

Proponents of the presence of the F-35s assert that the jets are good economic drivers, creating thousands of jobs. Greco refutes this claim as false. 

“The Air Force, the ones that produced this plane and based it here, said that it provided no additional economic benefit for the city or the state,” Greco said. 

In fact, Adelman said that it is extremely expensive to keep these fighter jets in the air. 

“Each F-35 costs $44,000 to fly for just one hour. That’s more than an average school teacher makes in a year,” Adelman said. 

Colonel Greco said she encourages the people of Winooski and Chittenden County to ask questions, challenge those in power, and not be complacent. 

“There was so much corruption and deception and outright lies that were told to the people about the F-35s,” said Greco. “It has become a social injustice, along with the militarization of our culture.”

This piece is the first in On the F-35s, a series on Vermont’s F-35 fighter jets.