RAF Lakenheath has responded to concerns about an increased amount of fighter jet training overhead in South Holland.
The United States Air Force base in Suffolk says the rise is due to poor weather forcing squadrons to train over land.
The increase comes just a year after an F-15 Eagle crashed in Weston Hills due to pilot error and imperfections with the plane’s nose cap. And last October a pilot was killed when an F-18 crashed in Suffolk.
One Voice reader, who is an aviation enthusiast, said: “Why for many weeks now are F-15 Eagles performing air combat manoeuvring over Spalding?
“Since it involves simulated one-on-one combat in close proximity there is an ever-present risk of a mid-air collision and of one or both aircraft falling onto populated areas. It’s happened before. It was pure luck that the F-15 that came down in 2014 didn’t hit the school or village.”
He added: “The irritating thing is – and this from a keen fan of most things American, aviation in particular – is that they are not allowed to do this over populated areas in their own country. There are dedicated ranges in various deserts where they must go.”
A spokesman for RAF Lakenheath outlined three major factors for “the community’s perceived rise in recent training sorties (see right), but gave an assurance that everything is carried out within approved restrictions.
The full response from Capt Emily Grabowski, public affairs chief for 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath:
Several factors are involved with the perceived rise in recent training sorties the community has observed.
Weather this winter has played a major part in our having to train over land. Many weather conditions, including sea states, winds and cloud coverage, can force us to move our training to an alternative location, affecting both RAF and USAF operations. Looking back, the weather conditions for July through December were much worse than is normal, and this inclement weather led to more training inland.
Airspace options can be a limiting factor. We share UK airspace with the RAF, who naturally take priority. Consequently, our flying program facilitates de-confliction from the RAF’s airspace requirements but also manages to de-conflict the activities of our three, very active, fighter squadrons. When the weather is poor, airspace options are reduced further – as aircraft have to carry sufficient fuel to be able to return to base and then be able to fly, if required, to their nominated diversion airfield, which could be as far as Scotland.
This factor significantly reduces the amount of fuel that is available for training, cuts into the distance the aircraft are able to travel and often results in aircraft having to stay relatively local to East Anglia.A third major factor is the return of our aircraft from deployments. Last year saw two squadrons deployed in support of contingency operations. However, since early October 2015, we’ve seen the return of our deployed units and we are now operating at close to full capacity. This results in three fighter squadrons each flying up to three waves of flights per day.
We work closely with our Host Nation partners, the RAF and National Air Traffic Services to ensure compliance within all restrictions, to complete our flying mission safely and efficiently.
The shocking plane crash in Weston Hills was the result of pilot error and “imperfections” with its nose cap.
The £28million F-15D Eagle was destroyed when it came down in a field off Broadgate at about 3.30pm on October 8, 2014.
A subsequent report found that “the angle of attack of the aircraft at the time and imperfections in the radome’s nose cap assembly” combined to cause the crash.
The the only person on board ejected safely.
A clear-up of the field cost £400,000.
