SAN DIEGO — The Marine Corps will show off its new F-35C plane at Marine Corps Air Station Mirarmar Friday at a gathering of city and community leaders.
The plane was flown to the base last week as the military starts to retire the F-18.
“The F-35 is the most advanced aircraft in the Marine Corps,” said Capt. Matthew Gregory, spokesman for MCAS Miramar. “The engines are new. It has some of the best technology and redundancy systems built into it, so it’s a very, very safe aircraft.”
The Marines will spend the next 10 years slowly replacing every dual-engine F-18 at MCAS Miramar on a one-to-one basis with the single-engine F-35. The military claims the reduction of one engine will not compromise safety.
“The F-35 has a great safety record," said Gregory. "It’s been flying since the mid-2000s for the test and evaluation period. Just because it’s a single engine doesn’t make it any less safe than a two-engine aircraft."
Research shows the new plane is about two decibels louder than the F-18 during takeoff, but is roughly 10 decibels quieter during landing.
The F-35 also gives off a higher pitch than the lower pitched F-18.
“It will sound and look significantly different. People will notice [it] more because of the differences, but it’s not much louder and we’re anticipating a decrease in noise,” said Gregory.
MCAS Miramar has been the subject of numerous noise complaints for decades from residents of nearby communities. The base has held community meetings about the new plane, but some residents remain concerned about additional noise.
“Community members understand the need to have a strong military. They understand Miramar is there. They want to be informed of what’s going on and want military commitment that they will adhere to designated flight paths,” said Councilwoman Barbara Bry, whose district includes communities under the flight path.
The Marines have been pushing back at claims that jets are rigidly restricted to specific routes and have frequently said pilots must follow the direction of the FAA when flying to and from training areas. Often the FAA will allow military aircraft to fly the same route, but sometimes weather, traffic or other issues can cause air traffic control to deviate planes.
The F-35 will follow the same typical route as used by the F-18.
Residents are welcome to submit noise complaints here.
“The idea is always when you’re arriving or departing to be at a safe altitude, safe speed and minimize noise exposure to community,” explained Bob Walker, a commercial airline pilot and former Navy aviator. “We want to be good friends to the community.”
MCAS Miramar to show off new F-35C
The Marines will brief community leaders on the F-35C and address any lingering questions about noise and safety of its newest aircraft.