Our View: Meadows Field should not be Kern's best-kept secret
It's understandable after the horrific fatal collision on Jan. 29 between an Army helicopter and a passenger airliner that people may be jumpy when they see a military aircraft using Kern County's Meadows Field Airport for training.
But Meadows Field has many important roles other than simply providing residents with conveniently scheduled daily commercial flights. Training pilots — military, commercial and general aviation — is one of them.
Recently a Californian reader wrote in a letter to the editor that she was concerned about what appeared to her to be unsafe military operations at Meadows Field on Feb. 26, when commercial aircraft were taking off and landing at the airport.
'First, the distant rumbling; next the deep vibration; finally, the thrilling roar of two fighter jets low altitude buzzing the runway at Meadows Field,' she wrote. 'Was that a safe time for a high-speed buzz? Did the military pilots get permission from air traffic control?'
The writer contended she attempted to reach airport officials to ask these questions, but her calls were unanswered.
Meadows Field is a 'controlled airport.' That means there is a control tower, where the operation of all arriving and departing aircraft is directed by air traffic controllers.
So, yes, controllers certainly were aware of the military maneuvers. The controller's job is to keep all aircraft — military, commercial and general aviation — safely separated. Meadows Field's location is suitable for military and civilian flight.
With a control tower, sophisticated navigation systems and two asphalt runways — one 10,855 feet long and the other 7,703 feet — Meadows Field can accommodate more air traffic than it receives today. The airport supports commercial flights, as well as charter operations, transport aircraft, general aviation aircraft and daily training exercises.
While some may consider Meadows Field to be a very 'active' airport, it actually pales in comparison with others that are considered 'congested.' With so many airplanes arriving and departing those airports, the job of an air controller can be likened to threading a needle.
That was the situation at Reagan International Airport in Washington, D.C., where an approaching commercial airliner collided with an Army helicopter, killing 67 people, including three soldiers aboard the helicopter.
While the National Transportation Safety Board continues its investigation of the tragic incident, airport congestion and the military helicopter flying at an unauthorized elevation are among the factors being considered. Preliminary findings already have resulted in changes to military operations around Reagan International, one of the nation's most congested airports.
The modern and well-equipped Meadows Field has been the location of pilot training for a century. That includes training World War II combat pilots, as well as more recently hosting centers to train pilots to fly with national and international airlines. A retired military aircraft greets travelers at the airport's entrance.
To protect the safety of air travelers, as well as on people on the ground, pilots must train. The more practice, the more proficient pilots will be.
Military and civilian pilots routinely use Meadows Field for flyovers, as well as touch-and-goes, which are arrivals and departures where airplanes only briefly touch the runway. On almost any given day, you can find plane watchers lining Meadows Fields' perimeters marveling at these training exercises.
Meadows Field is a critical driver of Kern County's economy. Many businesses locate in Kern County based solely on the existence of a modern airport that can meet their supply and transportation needs.
Airplanes representing some of nation's most recognizable transport companies regularly fly into and out of Meadows Field. Without those flights, local manufacturers could not supply the U.S. with products ranging from assembled machinery to food supplies.
Every Kern County resident and business benefits from Meadows Field's existence. Airport officials must do a better job of explaining the airport's attributes. That should start with answering people's questions when they call.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fort Riley museums may close amid Army's operational review
FORT RILEY (KSNT) – The Army's Fort Riley Museum is on a list of over 20 museums to be shuttered; approval for the closing will come in the next few weeks. 27 News reached out to Army Strategic Communications Officer F. Lee Reynolds for more information about the potential closure. According to Reynolds, the Army's decision to close some museums came after extensive review of operational constraints, including staffing limitations, visitor engagement, and facility maintenance costs. 'While some museums will close, their artifacts and historical materials will not be lost; neither will their stories,' Reynolds said. 'They will be carefully preserved and integrated into remaining institutions or stored in Army Museum Support Centers for future use.' Woman behind first-ever Topeka lavender festival hopes to start annual event Reynolds told 27 News that the museums on the list are expected to be closed to the public by the end of September 2027. 'Additionally, efforts are underway to explore partnerships that may allow local communities to continue engaging with Army history in meaningful ways; we will stay engaged with our stakeholders as we develop these partnerships,' Reynolds said. 'We recognize the concerns this decision has generated and remain committed to honoring the Army's legacy.' Kansas ranchers hit hard by cattle theft operations In 2023, the U.S. Cavalry Museum and the 1st Infantry Division Museum reopened after making $17.5 million in renovations. The buildings started the renovations in 2018 with each building getting structural updates, new heating and cooling systems, new lighting and updated technology. The U.S. Cavalry Museum was originally built in 1855 as a post hospital. The 1st Infantry Division Museum was built in 1905. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum WWII panel features two veterans' tales of valor
Driving rain fell with the ferocity of machinegun fire while thunder bombarded the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force's rotunda as if it were distant air strike's. Yet, the elements could not overcome the power of the stories being told by World War II veteran airmen 1st Lieutenant Kenneth Beckman and Staff Sergeant Bruce Cook during the museum's 5th Annual WWII panel. Sean O'Dwyer, the museum's education program manager and panel moderator, said while all four panelists from last year's event were alive, Beckman, 102, and Cook, 99, were the only two who could make the trip. Beckman, originally from Northampton, Massachusetts, now hails from St. Petersburg, Florida. Cook lives in West Columbia, South Carolina. The two told stories about close calls, fellow crewmen's practical jokes and harrowing missions. They did so to the best of their recollections, which were much better than they let on, particularly Beckman's as many of his stories were accompanied by the exact date of the mission. The panel was one portion of Sunday's events, which were part of four days of Memorial Day events that the museum planned in honor of the 26,000 airmen of the Eighth Airforce who never returned from WWII. More of the museum's Flags for the Fallen events have been planned for Monday, May 26. O'Dwyer asked the two centenarians a series of questions, helping them call up long dormant moments from their pasts. He started by asking what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. Cook said he was 16 and standing in a doorway when someone came by saying that the Hawaiian naval station had been bombed. "And to me, that didn't mean a whole lot," he said because he had never heard of it before. Beckman actually resigned from the Naval Academy because his roommate's grandfather was a doctor with the with the Navy, and he had heard that a war with Japan was "just around the corner." So he signed up with the Army Air Corp in November of 1941. For him, Dec. 7 of that year started like any other day until about 4 p.m. when he heard what had happened at Pearl Harbor. Beckman went on to serve as a navigator within the 305th Bomb Group while Cook was a waist/ball gunner and toggler for the 379th. Beckman attributed his desire to be an aviator to his first flying experience when he was five years old. The manager of Northampton airport knew his father and invited Beckman for a ride in a two-seater airplane. During the war, he went on 48 missions over two tours. He signed up for a second tour after he decided he wanted to become a permanent officer. He flew with two U.S. presidents, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. Beckman described two close calls he had in service. One involved a German pilot who flew his Messerschmitt Me 262 "absolutely vertical" 20 feet off the right wing, so close Beckman could see he was blond with glasses and a white scarf. "I guess I saw him for all of a split second," he said, but he never forgot it. Another close call occurred when his crew's right wing engine had been hit and caught fire. He called that a death notice because a fire usually proceeded an explosion, which typically meant crew members had five to 10 seconds to grab a parachute and jump. In that moment, he secured his parachute and dangled his feet out the escape hatch and then he heard a copilot tell everyone the fire was out. He did not have to jump. Had he jumped he would have done so over enemy territory and undoubtedly been taken as a prisoner of war. Cook could not recall ever being scared beyond his first mission when he told a peer he could not get into the ball turret with his parachute on. The peer said that they could leave his parachute aside and if they got shot down maybe he could get up and grab it in time. Cook was then worried the whole four hours and fifteen minutes of that first, and likely his shortest, mission. Beyond that, he did not recall being scared very much in the air. He did remember a time when a plane ahead of his caught fire. The flames streamed behind it so much that a crewman on his plane thought their plane had caught fire and a miscommunication led another crewman to grab his chute and jump out over enemy territory. Cook told another story of how he shot at an approaching fighter, taking him out. Later the other gunner on the plane also claimed to have shot the enemy fighter down. When the crew got back to base they flipped a coin to see who would claim the hit. "Malone won," he said. Years later when he looked at the military records it only stated that a bomber shot down a fighter, giving no particular airman credit. Both Cook and Beckman flew dozens of missions throughout their tours of duty. Cook joked that officers and enlisted men such as himself did not always hang out during the war, but it was an honor to be speaking with Beckman about their experiences and the men they served with. Beckman and Cook, while grateful for the museum's recognition, deflected any praise heaped upon them. When asked to reflect on Memorial Day's meaning, Cook said he did not deserve the praise that the museum and community were giving him. To underscore the point of the holiday, he recollected one more story of a fellow airman who was less fortunate. During the war, a young man Cook referred to as Albert was moved to another plane to make way for Cook's return to his crew. Cook said on Albert's first mission with the new crew their plane was shot down. Albert and others bailed out over enemy territory while the crew's pilot went down with the plane. For Beckman, Memorial Day is an "opportunity for me to think about the fellows that didn't make it, they were the real heroes." He then paused before expressing that he was at a loss for words "to describe how wonderful life can be when the world is at peace." Joseph Schwartzburt is the education and workforce development reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at JSchwartzburt@ and JoeInTheKnow_SMN on Instagram. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum WWII panel features two veterans
Wall Street Journal
6 hours ago
- Wall Street Journal
‘Annapolis Goes to War' Review: From the Yard to the Fire
It had been a long buyer's market for the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1940. Its 750 inductees first arrived at 'the Yard' in 1936 following 16 years of peacetime budget cuts; with Congress in an isolationist mood, few midshipmen would have foreseen an American war in Europe and the Pacific when they sat for their entrance exams. But when the 456 graduates left Annapolis in June 1940, war was burning on two ends of the world. Their baptism by fire was a matter of when, not if. Craig L. Symonds, a historian and Naval Academy professor emeritus, has spent decades studying American naval warfare. His 'World War II at Sea' (2018) deftly covers the war on the waves while his biography 'Nimitz at War' (2022) takes a deep dive into the life of the admiral who led history's largest armada. In 'Annapolis Goes to War,' Mr. Symonds shows the struggle through the eyes of young officers thrown into combat 18 months after graduation. The 'Forties,' as the Class of 1940 became known, lost 76 graduates in World War II, suffering the highest death rate of any class from either Annapolis or West Point. The book begins with wide-eyed students converging on the banks of Maryland's Severn River. 'When they arrived in Annapolis, they were filled with confidence and eagerness, innocents who embraced and internalized the conventional values of their era,' Mr. Symonds writes. Over the course of the first four chapters, he chronicles each coming school year, covering the discomfort, exhaustion, minor terrors and small pleasures that followed the young men.
