GROWING MILITARY PRESENCE IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES

s I have mentioned before, Eglin AFB and the surrounding areas are taking on many initiatives to maximize the potential of this area for the military and making it a strategic area for Training, Testing, and Operational programs. The area gives the military something not many other places can offer to all services. Joint operations are a must in this budgetary climate and Eglin and the surrounding bases are ahead of others in this area using the land, air, and sea assets in this area.


Department of Defense proposes restructuring of airspace
Growing military presence in Northwest Florida cited as reason for overhaul
By PAT KELLY Florida Freedom Newspapers

PANAMA CITY — The Department of Defense is working with civilian aviation counterparts to restructure the airspace over Northwest Florida for the first time since World War II, an aviation technical advisor told the Airport Authority. Mike “Pappy” Penland, with Eglin Air Force Base’s plans and programs of the Air Armament Center, said an increase in air traffic over a region he called a “national treasure” vital to national security has prompted the review. Also playing a role is the anticipated addition of aircraft and training because of base realignment and closure. “Everybody realizes that this piece of airspace is very complex,” he said. The new model, which will be the end result of a two-year initiative, could serve as an archetype for similar efforts nationwide to minimize congestion in areas of high growth, he said. More military personnel and air weapons systems are coming to the area, including 113 of the new F-35 multi-role fighter aircraft at Eglin, Penland said. F-35 flights are likely to affect the flow of traffic in and out of civilian airports. There also will be increased training flights of the F-22 fighter, which needs a bigger block of airspace than the older F-15, and the turboprop T-6, used for basic navigator training. “It’s a big domino effect” that will affect airspace from Tallahassee to the Mississippi-Alabama border, Penland said. Flights over Eglin airspace alone, not counting operations over water, are expected to rise from 192,000 to 427,000 by 2014. The economic impact in the area is one of the chief concerns of the military and one of the driving forces behind the study, Penland said. Reaching out to their civilian equivalents is only the first part of the Defense Department process, Penland said. The course of action also will include working with university research centers to develop computer models of airspace plans. Usually, the department works with the Federal Aviation Administration, which then consults with civilian authorities, Penland said. The new approach “tries to get everybody together in a coordinated manner,” he said. As a general rule, the FAA “owns” the airspace, and the Defense Department manages the airspace the FAA gives it, Penland said. Goals will be determined by an executive steering committee composed of military flag officers, with the rank of general or above, and civilian flag officer-type equivalents from the governor’s office and other state economic development and aviation groups. There also will be a workinggroup level of airport directors and other experts. Initial plans call for a finished product by December 2010, Penland said.