FAQ’s

  1. The Navy said the Prowler was louder than the growler is. Why is everyone complaining about its volume?
  2. The Navy’s EIS documentation shows the Growler is louder than the A6 overall in the configurations used for Field Carrier Landing Practice (FCLP).  There is also a larger low-frequency component that travels much further than the higher frequencies – thus the louder sound miles away.  The Growler is quieter than the Prowler only in cruise configuration, but not by very much.
  1. The Navy said they didn’t add a lot of jets. What’s the problem?
  2. In the transition from Prowler to Growler, the Navy claimed that only 52 Growlers would be needed, so there would be “fewer flights by quieter jets”.  But there are now 118 active Growlers in the fleet and another 42 “spares” at NAS Whidbey Island. 
  1. The Navy says there aren’t that many more flights happening. Why the uproar?
  3. FCLP (training flights) used to be more evenly split between Ault Field and Coupeville OLF.  The current plan is for 80% of the Growler FCLP flights to be at OLF – over a 4x increase of the average over the last 20 years. 
  1. The Navy says this is the only place they can train.
  3. Coupeville’s OLF (Outlying Field, where they train) is unavailable some of the year for maintenance and unsuitable weather.  The squadrons have no difficulty flying elsewhere for their training during those down times.  So, the claim is specious.  Other locations that are more remote (i.e. Lemore, China Lake, Nellis) are used for this type of training for the >250 F-18 fighter jets the Navy has.  The Navy has many other options for training locations without sacrificing quality or quantity of training.
  1. The Navy says the Olympic Peninsula is they only place they can train for electronic warfare .
  2. Electromagnetic Warfare training has no business over any of our national parks, and it disrupts the wildlife, visitors and nearby residents. Visitors to the Olympic National Park can’t expect to have a natural experience when they are subjected to military flyovers at a rate of over 100/day on training days.  The Olympic training area is used because it is convenient to Whidbey – which is another reason to relocate at least SOME of the Growlers to a less-impactful location.