[CPEO-MEF] Flight training space in Europe

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

The U.S. armed services warn about constraints on training within the
United States, but space is even tighter in Europe. In particular, U.S.
Air Force Europe (USAFE) has little airspace in which it can conduct
low-level flight training. Aviation Week ("U.S. Looks to the East for
Air Training Space," June 18, 2001 - page 168) reports that Britain's
foot-and-mouth disease cattle epidemic has led to the quarantine of
previously available air training areas.

Not much space is available in Italy and Germany, so the Air Force has
been doing most of its air training in Turkey, Morocco, and Tunisia.
Now, reports an Air Force spokesman, "... we're looking south and east.
We have initiatives in Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary,
Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic because we don't face the same
restrictions. We're trying to do that by offering good, bilateral mutual
training opportunities to the air forces of these countries."

The magazine reports, "There are more offers than USAFE has deployment
days, people, airplanes or support." USAFE is evaluating both the
technical and political suitability of each offer.

-- 


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
lsiegel@cpeo.org
http://www.cpeo.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~