OLF

The path taken by the US Navy for its proposed Outlying Landing Field in North Carolina is strewn with lies, missteps, deception and stupidity. But if you thought the Navy had learned anything from its years of incompetence, you'd be wrong. The Daily Advance has the story.

Despite the buildup for an announcement this week, the Navy might not be ready to reveal Thursday what sites should be considered further for a pilot training field, officials said Tuesday. For weeks, residents of counties across northeastern North Carolina have been waiting with bated breath for Nov. 15 — the date Navy officials had indicated they would announce which of 22 sites in Virginia and North Carolina are worthy of further study for an outlying landing field.

***

A Navy admiral has told a state commission studying potential OLF sites that he must present all of his information to the Secretary of the Navy by Thursday. But it is unclear how long it will take Navy Secretary Donald Winter to digest that information, and when he will be making an announcement, several Navy spokesmen said Tuesday.

Digest the information? What the heck does that mean? Is Winter going to all-of-a-sudden rule certain sites out of bounds for political reasons? And why does the Secretary of the Navy get to know what the Navy's planning when We the People are kept in the dark about the potential destruction of a big part of our state?

I truly don't get this at all, but it gets even worse because the governor's study group appears complicit in the back-room scamming.

The Navy cannot, I repeat cannot perform 2 air wings worth of training in a two week period. Because of this we must build a second OLF to augment Fentress so air wing training can be accomplished in this time frame. OOOh wait, my bad, they can accomplish this training in a 5 day period .... I return you to your normal BlueNC reading. Sorry to have scared you so.

But we still want our second OLF.

So who actually proposed the six new sites for further study in the continuing saga of the OLF in Northeast North Carolina.

Was it the Navy? DENR? Governor Easely's office? the Man on the moon?

The Insider today has some news I hadn't seen on the OLF. Unfortunately, a subscription is required to read the whole story.

DOLE ON OLF: In a letter to Navy Secretary Donald Winter, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole says the Navy may need to bring more than an outlying landing field to the state in order to sell the project to a community. Dole also said she will oppose efforts to put the practice jet landing field in any community that doesn't broadly support the project.

::

Former Oceana CO: Fentress may satisfy OLF needs
September 25th, 2007

Captain Skip Zobel says he understands the Navy's desire to construct a new outlying field somewhere, but until that day comes, if ever, Zobel says Fentress could certainly do the job.

According to the video news video, the Navy would have to move some training flights to a different field and fix the flight path altitudes at Fentress and the problem is solved.

Capt Zobel was in charge at some time of Oceana and knows the requirements of Oceana, Fentress and the fleet. His statements hold water and are smart.

What he is saying is for the Navy to use the assets at their disposal now. Fix the problems that is causing the Navy's desire to explore an OLF elsewhere.

I guess once you start drinking the military-friendly kool-aid, it's hard to break the habit. That sad situation is fully reflected in today's editorial page in the News and Observer on the OLF.

The editorial is well-constructed, as far as it goes, but it fails to even address the big issue at the center of the entire OLF controversy: the Navy has not made a legitimate case for ANY outlying landing field anywhere.

If you connect the dots in all the Navy has said, it's clear that the OLF is a want and not a need by any stretch of the imagination. And by joining the discussion over which North Carolina site is best, the N&O gives the Navy a complete pass on the question that matters most: What is the long-range strategy for fighter training on the east coast?

The Navy hasn't even begun to answer that question, and until they do, discussions about specific sites are inappropriate . . . and stupid.

Please ooo please take this and please paste it on your mirror so every morning when you wake up and get dressed you see it.

NORTH CAROLINA DOES NOT NEED TO SUPPORT THIS OLF PROCESS. NO COUNTY IN NORTH EAST NORTH CAROLINA WANTS THIS.

Repeat this as often as you wish.

Virginia Pilot. regarding the newly revealed sites in North Carolina.

It's certainly a positive step, but it's got to be a site that is comfortable ... and is approved by the people of North Carolina. I look forward to learning about the viability of these sites.

Senator Dole, I will give you credit, at least you have said something about these sites. Senator Burr, where areeeeeeeeeee yooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuu? MIA again.

When a representative for a community fails to protect his constituants but rather protects the people of another state at the expense of his own, then he needs to be called out for this action.

Mikey, you are not giving us in NE NC a warm fuzzy that you care about us. Please prove me wrong.