'Plane Truths' film draws critical audience

Some 80 La Conner area residents packed the Methodist Church’s social hall Friday night to see the documentary “Plane Truths,” about the coming 36 Growler jets expansion at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. Several shared the truths of their experience of the jets currently flying overhead on a sometimes-daily basis.

Filmmakers Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young led a discussion after the film. Young’s first question, “How do you hear the planes here?” drew laughter. Hands shot up into the air.

Dick Paynter, of Shelter Bay, told of planes that miss their flight path two or three times a month. “They are screaming,” he said. “They are above us 200 to 300 yards.”

He said he would complain to the base commander.

Jacqueline Perry, head gardener at Snow Goose Produce, heard 36 noises between noon and 4 p.m. one day last year through headphones she was wearing.

Pleasant Ridge resident Gale Fiege lives on Best Road south of Valentine Road. She complained of jets turning right over her head.

Sylvia Strong criticized the slogan “This is the sound of freedom,” recounting that in 2001, before the Sept. 11 Saudi terrorist attacks using commercial airliners, a campaign to reduce the Navy’s presence on Whidbey was succeeding.

Fuel dumping is another problem. Strong shared her Fishtown neighbor Maggie Wilder’s account of jets dumping fuel in Skagit Bay before landing. Strong said Wilder told her she smelled fuel.

Another person told of smelling fuel from the jets flying “too rich” and said, “fuel falls down on us.”

A line of discussion was on “We have to change the rules. We can’t follow the Navy’s rules anymore.”

Maryon Attwood, chair of the Sound Defense Alliance, brought postcards for attendees to send to U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Everett). In response to the observation “One person missing from the film is Rep. Rick Larsen,” Attwood responded, “Congressman Larsen has changed his position. We have moved him a very far distance. (It’s) not enough.”

She told the group that their letters and calls have had an impact and urged everyone to get involved and “do something.”

Dodge Valley Road resident Rick Shorten thought the needed strategy is having “a viable candidate to run against him” in the Democratic primary. Shorten said “a viable candidate is better than a big postcard,” referring to Attwood telling the group they were presenting Larsen with a wall sized postcard.

Larsen represents Island, San Juan and parts of Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.

The “preferred option” of the plans the Navy has filed lists a total of 24,100 takeoffs and landings annually at the airfield near Coupeville. The primary training is for field carrier practices that involve brief touchdowns on the air field and lots of low-level flying. Additionally, 88,000 takeoffs and landings at Ault Field, three miles north of Oak Harbor, would be made annually.

The Coupeville airfield, called Outlying Field, will increase its operations four times, to 360 hours annually from 90 hours.

The Coupeville airfield best simulates the landing conditions on an aircraft carrier, so is a critical site to prepare for fleet readiness.

An environmental impact statement on the expansion is scheduled to be published later this year. A final decision on the Growler expansion then will be made by the Secretary of the Navy.

Biographical information on Dworkin and Young’s website reads: “Whidbey Island-based filmmakers Mark Dworkin and Melissa Young (Moving Images) are veteran documentary producers.”