What was that noise? If you didn’t hear it, I would be surprised. On Friday, August 9, we had uncommon visitor at the airport – a United States Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet. The Super Hornet is one of the most advanced fighter jets in the US military. We received many calls stating concerns about the, “loudest jet they have ever heard,” and once we explained what it was, many community member immediately asked, when can we come see it? The aircraft departed on Sunday morning about 10 am. Vehicles were lined up on Highway 75 to watch the impressive sight. Shortly after take-off, the pilot encountered a navigational issue and he elected to turn around and come back to troubleshoot. At about 12:30 pm, the airshow repeated itself.
I was asked by several members of the community, why is there a military jet at SUN? As a public use airport that receives federal grant funds, military aircraft have the explicit right to use any federally obligated airport, including SUN. We are not really sure of the purpose of the visit, but were honored to host the rare visitor.
On another note, our annual fly-in event has come and gone. It was one of our busiest and most efficient ever. Our efforts with FAA Air Traffic Control and our Air Traffic Control Tower to improve flow into and out of the airport over the past few years are really paying off. Very few delays were experienced for arriving and departing aircraft, including our air carriers. Most important, everything was safe. A big thank you to the guests. I know the event is impactful with so many aircraft in and out of the airport for the week, but I can count on one hand the number of aircraft that did not comply with our voluntary noise abatement program – also one of our best results.
Lastly, little things make a big difference. If you have come to the airport terminal in the past few weeks, I hope you noticed our new entrance sign. We are still working on electrical to get it lit, but that should be accomplished by the end of this week. This sign was much needed and it looks great, in my opinion. Thank you to the City of Hailey and Hawley Graphics for making this happen.
Enjoy August. Summer is slipping by way too fast…
Sincerely,
Chris
SUN Airport Manager
