The range of an F/A-18E Super Hornet jet fighter aircraft is 1,930 nautical miles. In U.S. “standard” miles (like you and I drive in our gasoline-powered vehicles), that’s 2,221 miles.
The distance from Naval Air Station Oceana at Virginia Beach to Open Grounds Farm in Carteret County and back is 240 air miles. That means an F/A-18E could make nine trips to and from NAS Oceana to Open Grounds before having to refuel. OK, that’s cutting it a little close; how about eight trips, just to be safe?
Open Grounds Farm (formerly First Colony Farms) covers 32,000 acres that’s mostly already been cleared. It’s flat as a pancake. Just about any spot at Open Grounds Farm would be suitable for paving an airstrip that includes a practice carrier deck.
And it’s for sale.
Now, are you ready for this? The U.S. Navy has said Open Grounds Farm is too far from Oceana NAS to make it a viable substitute as an Outlying Landing Field substitute for “Site C” — the Navy’s preferred option in Washington and Beaufort counties next to Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge that nobody (including local citizens and the swans, ducks and geese) wants built.
The Navy also says there’s too many other flights in the area.
Here’s what Brian Roth, mayor of Plymouth and a former Navy flight officer, had to say about USN objections to Open Grounds.
“To the untrained eye, an air chart can look really scary, with words like, ‘Warning Area, Restricted Area, ‘Military Operating Area,’ etc., with lots of radio frequencies, altitudes, lines and so on,” he said. “However, that doesn’t mean there’s a single airplane actually in the sky at any given time — it’s just lines and information on a chart. You have to look at the specific airspace utilizations per altitude block, including times of day or night, frequency of operations, type of activity in the airspace and actual locations, etc., to get a good feel for potential airspace conflicts.
“Most airspace issues are relatively easy to resolve. Simple scheduling is the easiest, along with radar flight following by Air Traffic Control. What do you think the air charts look like for Los Angeles Intl., Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth Intl., Detroit, Cleveland, McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, San Diego, BWI, Miami Intl., St Louis Intl., Ronald Reagan in D.C., and SeaTac in Seattle? And all of these areas have military airfields in very close proximity. And they mix propeller aircraft in with jets every day, along with civil, military and commercial aircraft, with huge variations in (pilot) skill levels.”
Roth agreed if four alternate OLF sites (other than Site C) post objections and the Navy can clear Open Grounds Farm off the deck in advance, then Site C will be the only option left — and the Navy will have painted itself into a corner it always wanted to reach.
“I believe it’s more a matter of not wanting (Open Grounds) to work,” he said. “From a gamesmanship perspective, the Navy and most politicians understand, the closer the OLF is to Cherry Point, the higher probability (more) jets could come to North Carolina.”
Hey, Navy, what have you got to lose, other than some Virginia politicians on the Armed Services Committees?
Mr. Admiral, try Eastern Gateway Realty in Stacy, 535 U.S. 70 Bettie, Beaufort, N.C. 28516. The number is 1-800-205-5765.
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