Navy Speaks Up: Seeks Lower Density In North Lake Flight Paths

    The US Navy has just begun a new, 30-year lease for its operations of the Pinecastle Bombing Range, and on Tuesday officials with the Navy were in Tavares reminding Lake County officials that the range’s operations present a risk throughout the flight ranges of planes, and that development in the northern section of the county should reflect that potential risk.
   “We are articulating the risk,” said Donald Heaton, who serves as director of the PInecastle Range Complex, which includes the Pinecastle Range, as well as a range in Lake George and another in the Rodman area.
   Heaton presented information on flight patterns associated with planes training at the Navy’s ranges, focusing on impacts in airspace over Lake County. A section of the country running roughly from the Pittman area southeast through Umatilla toward Cassia is included in what is described as Range Compatibility Zone 2, which denotes an area where planes flying overhead could be carrying live ammunition that is set to be dropped at the range.
   The risk of live ammunition on planes has led the Navy to seek very light residential densities in zone 2 areas.
   The Navy serves as an advisor to the county’s planning and zoning board, and offers input on zoning requests within its areas of impact. While not able to force a denial of permits, the Navy does have an interest in limiting development in areas that are in higher risk areas.
   “No one should live in RCZ - 2,” said Heaton. While that is an impossible situation, Heaton wanted to emphasize the potential risk associated with people living in the flight pattern.
   “There are aircraft flying over with live ordinance,” Heaton said of the area.
   Heaton has said there have been no recent occasions where the Navy spoke out against new permits, but as the county continues to see explosive growth, the Navy appeared to want to remind the county of the Navy's ongoing training operations with hopes of mitigating future growing risks by encouraging lower densities within the high-risk zone.
   The range was originally used by the Army Air Force during World War II, and was reopened by the Navy in 1951. Since that time, the facility has been in constant use, through a partnership with the Forest Service. A wide variety of aircraft train at the facility, which is the only active complex on the East Coast. In fact, every aircraft carrier that deploys from the East Coast sees its pilots train at the range prior to deployment.
   Commander Mary Robinson, who oversees the complex’s operations from Jacksonville, spoke Tuesday of the importance of the range and the partnership the Navy has with the Forest Service and area governments.
   “What you do here can’t be done anywhere else,” she said, noting the specific training provided and limited locations to undertake it. “Pinecastle is a very important range.”
   Commissioners voiced support for the range’s operations, with commissioner Leslie Campione going further to inquire about the Navy’s procedure for commenting on development requests. Heaton said he sits as an advisory member of the county planning and zoning board, and offers input on applications. Heaton said the county communicates on any applications that come forward from within the Navy’s RCZ zones.