PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - A National Guard proposal to expand airspace for fighter jet training low over Maine has dragged on for so long that many of the aircraft currently used for training could be retired by the time the plans are completed.
Vermont-based F-16 fighters account for the bulk of the training flights and are due to be replaced by stealthy F-35 fighters that figure into the National Guard proposal to hold training exercises over a larger area.
F-35 fighters aren't allowed to fly low to the ground and the guard says that means less noise from fighter jets screeching overhead. Some locals aren't so sure.
The plans are now in their 14th year and an environmental impact statement is being revised, which could take another couple of years.