CORONADO, Calif. -- Some Coronado residents are concerned about the Navy's plan to replace its aging C-2 Greyhound planes with the new V-22 Osprey at Naval Base Coronado.
The Navy will hold a public meeting at the Coronado Community Center Wednesday night to share the draft of its Environmental Impact Report, answer questions, and take public comments.
10News spoke with several Coronado residents who say the the noise issue has been a hot topic of debate for a long time.
Many say low flying planes and helicopters rattle their homes and create noise loud enough to be disruptive.
Others say moving to Coronado means making a knowing sacrifice to accept the noise.
"To be honest, I've gotten used to them," said 28-year resident Patty Korrey. "As my husband and I both say, it's the sound of freedom."
The Navy tells 10News the change should not make much impact on the surrounding community.
Testing indicates the noise level will be similar to the current planes. The sound the Osprey makes will be different, but not noticeably louder.
The Greyhound was designed in the 1960's. Many of the planes currently being flown were built in the 1980's.
Commander Mark David tells 10News he loved flying the C-2. "I would say, it’s like a 1960’s muscle car. You’ve got to keep your hands on her. She’s got a lot of power.”
David just finished training on the Marine version of the Osprey in preparation from the Navy's switch.“If that’s a 60’s muscle car, the V-22 is like a Tesla. It’s really that far of a generational leap in technology.”
The Navy says it will take the public comments submitted in Coronado into account before writing a final draft of the report.
The Secretary of the Navy will make a final decision on the plan by the end of this year.
If approved, construction on the new Osprey facilities at Naval Base Coronado will begin in 2019, and the first of the new Osprey could arrive by 2020.
