WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S Air Force is proposing a few changes in where and when training flights over the Gila Valley could take place.
On Friday, the Air Force released the draft environmental impact statement for Regional Special Use Airspace Optimization to Support Air Force Missions in Arizona.
In the plan, the Air Force proposes changing the training flight times over Graham County from the current 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The trainings over Greenlee County are proposed to change from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The draft EIS also proposes a change to the floor (the lowest altitude) of training flights over Graham County from 3,000 feet above ground level to 500 feet AGL. There would be no change in the floor over Greenlee County, remaining at 1,500 feet AGL.
Currently, special low-level training flights go as low as 100 feet AGL in Graham County. That would also not change under the draft EIS.
The proposed floor for supersonic flight authorization above Graham and Greenlee counties would be increased to 5,000 AGL.
The draft also makes two proposals for increases in the number of training sorties above the two counties. In the first proposal, there would be an additional 1,400 training events in the area that includes Graham, while in the second proposal the increase would be 2,520.
In both proposals, the number of training sorties would increase by 700 in the area that includes Greenlee.
Paper copies of the draft EIS are available at the Safford City-Graham County Library and the Morenci Library.
Public comment will be accepted from now through Oct. 9, and a public hearing will take place at the Morenci Club on Monday, Sept. 9, from 5-8 p.m.
There will also be two virtual public hearings Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, from 5-8 p.m. each day. Click here to register.
