Travis Airforce Base paid off by developer? It's your safety
EnXco, a developer wanting to build additional wind tubines in the Montezuma Hills, offered $1 million at a Feb. 21 Solano County Planning Commission meeting. The money is to be used to improve the radar system at Travis. Travis Air Force base officials withdrew their long standing objections to the additional wind turbines after they were informed by their superiors that there were no "reasonable expectations" of problems with the system.
My question is, has anyone ruled out a negative affect on Radar accuracy in handling General aviation aircraft. Is there still a question in the minds of those at Travis? Has the promised funding clouded the original issue that these wind turbines, built closer to the base, might affect the accuracy of the returns from flying objects. That flying object might be my or your aircraft crossing the TAFB flight space.
The Reporter's Danny Bernardini wrote that Gregory Blue, regional manager of external affairs for enXco, said "We were trying to help them enhance their radar and we're doing it in the form of a gift." "It's all about enhancing the radar so we can co-exist." The question remains, will the additional turbines have an affect that will require some enhancing of the new radar system to remain safe. Does this mean that until the system has been enhanced, are G.A. aircraft at risk during control by TAFB traffic controllers. Has anyone looked into this? Comments?
For those interested in this question, make plans to be at the ALUC meeting, March 13, 2008. The meeting is held at the Solano County Airport Conference Room, 7:00pm. Maybe someone might ask this question of the commission.
Danny Bernardini"s article can be found at www.thereporter.com
My question is, has anyone ruled out a negative affect on Radar accuracy in handling General aviation aircraft. Is there still a question in the minds of those at Travis? Has the promised funding clouded the original issue that these wind turbines, built closer to the base, might affect the accuracy of the returns from flying objects. That flying object might be my or your aircraft crossing the TAFB flight space.
The Reporter's Danny Bernardini wrote that Gregory Blue, regional manager of external affairs for enXco, said "We were trying to help them enhance their radar and we're doing it in the form of a gift." "It's all about enhancing the radar so we can co-exist." The question remains, will the additional turbines have an affect that will require some enhancing of the new radar system to remain safe. Does this mean that until the system has been enhanced, are G.A. aircraft at risk during control by TAFB traffic controllers. Has anyone looked into this? Comments?
For those interested in this question, make plans to be at the ALUC meeting, March 13, 2008. The meeting is held at the Solano County Airport Conference Room, 7:00pm. Maybe someone might ask this question of the commission.
Danny Bernardini"s article can be found at www.thereporter.com
About the above comment to me it looks like a good old fashion bribe. A gift. what a joke. shame on the Travis A.F.B. officials
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Captain Jim Crum from Travis in formed us at the EAA meeting (held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at the solano community collage hanger located at NutTree airport) that Travis was installing an updated radar system. Which the wind mills should not effect. Only time will tell if this is true or not. But I hope for safety someone finds out before the windmills are constructed!
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Captain Jim Crum gave a nice presentation at the EAA meeting. The jist of his presentation is that Travis is going to try to put on a very good Air Show the last week end in August. He also mentioned that in general, "windmills are bad". I agree that there may be a fix for what windmills have been known to do to radar targets. I also hope that a fix preceeds the building of any more windmills. Windmills are needed to help meet our energy demands. I think there is no better place to put them as well. I just want to be reassured that G.A. is not affected negatively by adding to the population of windmills closer to TAFB. Thanks Captain Crum for your visit to our meeting!
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