Nevada airspace sought

ELKO -- Officials at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho say Nevadans have nothing to fear about a plan to expand the base's airspace deeper into the Silver State.

Bryon Schmidt, chief of airspace management at the base, told Elko County commissioners last week that the plan would not have much of an effect on their county or on Humboldt County.

The proposal follows a request by Hill Air Force Base in Utah to extend a supersonic operations area by 1.6 million acres north of Ely in eastern Nevada.

That earlier plan has been criticized by environmentalists, who say it would increase the frequency of sonic booms and litter from training operations.

Schmidt said the latest proposal involves pilots who fly at supersonic speeds above 30,000 feet and the chances of hearing a sonic boom will be slim to none.

Pilots can fly on lower routes but can't fly below certain altitudes unless they have completed special requirements.

Schmidt said the Air Force already uses aerial training routes over Elko and Humboldt counties, including the towns of Midas, Tuscarora and Mountain City.

"We are asking to operate in the same way but move a little more east and south," Schmidt said.

If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, the expansion would increase the airspace by nearly 30 percent.