Luke was strategicaly selected and perfect for fighter weapons training. They are now ensconced in the west valley and all of the local communities depend on their existence. Certain left-wing asshats want them gone just because it is the military. The sound of fighters taking off at 7:00am has a very good feeling.
Yes, and when Luke was built, it was out in the middle of nowhere and nothing around but cactus and rattlesnakes. Now, development has encroached and the base isn’t isolated any longer. My feeling is, the base was there first. Anyone who moves in after the base was there has no right to complain about the jet noise (the sound of freedom!).
My sentiments exactly. I have little sympathy for someone that complains about the noise at any airbase, especially since Luke was built out in the sticks at the time (1940s). Did the people believe their relators when they said there's just a small airport in the area?
There's a lot of reasons why Luke was chosen to be a base and the economy wasn't a top reason. The weather affords year around training and the open areas and relative small commercial and civil air traffic make it ideal. Try to run a fighter training wing around New York or Philadelphia.
The last BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) legislation was in 2005 and only two small installations in Arizona were closed. I haven't heard about any future rounds of base closures. I think Luke AFB will remain for decades to come with or without the F-35 mission.