FAA against Kalaeloa as C-17 landing site

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Federal Aviation Administration has told officials at Hickam Air Force Base that Kalaeloa is not a good site to build a special training runway for C-17 transport planes, the base commander said yesterday.

Kalaeloa is one of four locations being considered by the Air Force, which is waiting for the results of an environmental assessment before making its selection. The other sites are Kona International Airport on the Big Island, Barking Sands on Kaua'i and Marine Corps Base Hawai'i in Kane'ohe.

Although he did not say exactly what the FAA objected to, Col. Ray Torres, commander of the 15th Airlift Wing at Hickam, said the agency's comments are just as serious as community concerns.

"I won't say it has more weight, but clearly if a federal agency comes back to us and says this isn't a good idea and why, it's a concern to us," Torres said.

Eight C-17s are scheduled to arrive in Hawai'i in February 2006.

Pilots of the four-engine jets, which can carry 102 paratroopers or 85 tons of cargo, would require training on a reinforced concrete runway 3,500 to 5,000 feet long and 90 to 100 feet wide.

The runway needs to be able to take a hard-impact landing, and the Air Force has estimated there would be 60 landings and takeoffs a month. Training would be at night and during the day and average four hours a day.

The C-17s are much louder when they land than commercial jets because of how hard they hit their brakes. But the public will not notice an increase in noise because each of the possible sites is well away from communities, Torres said.

Commanders hope to give the public a chance this summer to review a draft environmental assessment of the four potential sites. The assessment is about a year behind schedule, Torres said.

Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8012.