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After years of suffering the consequences of fighter jets flying overhead, residents say enough is enough.

After years of being under the flight paths of F-35 fighter jets, two Vermont communities say enough is enough and are asking their local leaders to beg the National Guard to make changes.

Residents said the F-35s disrupt their lives every time they fly over the area since the Vermont Air National Guard began using the aircraft at Burlington International Airport in 2019.

According to testimony heard at public hearings, they have to stay indoors, close windows and even interrupt classes at nearby schools because the noise is too loud to teach.

Residents also highlighted research from the World Health Organization that shows exposure to environmental noise has harmful effects on the population, with children suffering disproportionately.

Burlington citizens have drafted a resolution asking local leaders to work with Vermont’s congressional delegation to mitigate the harmful effects of the F-35s and call on the National Guard to change its mission.

At a meeting on August 12, the city council adopted resolution 11-1.

More recently, on September 3, the neighboring city of Winooski introduced a similar resolution, which the city council unanimously adopted.

“It’s already a burden on our economy, but more importantly, it’s a burden on the residents of our community who are just waiting for the noise impact to be mitigated and reduced,” Winooski City Councilman Bryn Oakleaf said at the meeting. “(Many don’t have) much of an option to do except move if they have the luxury of making that decision for themselves and their families.”

How did we get here?

According to the 158th Fighter Wing’s history, the Vermont Air National Guard was established nearly a century ago. After more than three decades of flying F-16s, the Guard transitioned to the F-35 Lightning II in 2019.

Lockheed Martin’s website states that the F-35s are single-seat stealth aircraft designed for strike or attack missions.

According to a 2012 U.S. Air Force impact report, the F-35’s maximum noise level during takeoff is estimated at 115 decibels at 1,000 feet above ground level, 21 decibels more than the F-16’s maximum noise level.

The Air Force reported that nearly 7,000 people in about 3,000 homes in the communities of Winooski, South Burlington, Williston, Burlington and Colchester lived within 65 decibels of the F-35s, which the federal government has deemed “not suitable for residential use.”

In 2012, Winooski residents expressed concerns about the potential impacts of the new aircraft during the environmental assessment process, requesting that Burlington International Airport be removed from consideration.

In 2015, voters filed a lawsuit against the Air Force, citing noise, economic, environmental and quality of life concerns. The lawsuit was dismissed, and the city chose not to appeal.

In 2018, the Winooski City Council signed a resolution again asking the Air Force secretary to place the planes elsewhere.

But the efforts came to nothing, as the Air Force continued to bring F-35s to the airport.

Noise mitigation efforts

In response, Burlington International Airport, with help from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), created a residential soundproofing program.

The project involves retrofitting approximately 2,500 homes near the airport, including those in Winooski and Burlington, to include new insulation, doors and windows.

However, the renovations are expected to take years and, as one resident pointed out, they do not stop the noise outside.

Change of mission

As the Burlington resolution states, residents are asking the Air Force to replace the F-35’s mission with one that causes “no harmful noise” and “no substantial negative economic impact on the airport or community,” and that is “compatible with residential neighborhoods.”

Residents are asking the Guard to consider a military transport mission instead, which would increase jobs and be more in line with the beliefs of local communities, they say. Transport planes require more personnel, and a medevac mission requires five times as many crews.

As the wife of a military pilot said at the Burlington public hearing, “Nothing has hurt the reputation of the Guard more than the location of this aircraft,” she said. “The reputation has been damaged since the F-35s came in.”