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Dobbins is a unique situation. It's the home of (Lockheed) Air Force Plant 6 - where the C-130 is built and others. I don't see this going anywhere anytime soon - meaning there will be a need for a runway there for some time to come.
Obviously it's seen its heydey. ANG F-105s, F-4s, and F-15s. Army OV-1s, Hueys and now Blackhawks still there. Marine OV-10s and others gone. Navy A-7s turned A-6, turned F-18, turned E-2 gone. C-9s gone. AF Reserve C-130s remain. And it's not as if these units magically and suddenly disappeared with Nunn.
I've flown enough around Dobbins, in a flightsuit, in a tie, and in jeans to report that Atlanta has simply grown to the point of nearly swallowing Dobbins. The airspace restrictions are onerous. The noise abatement restrictions, sequencing with other Class B traffic, lack of access to low level routes, absence of areas for NVG training, you name it - Dobbins has lost its appeal for military aviation. I doubt it was intentional, it's just how it is.
The flip side for Guard/Reserve units is that they are ideally located near cities where large numbers of trained ground and flight crew live. I'm disappointed that there weren't compromises made to keep these units around as I guarantee that any number of great folks simply got out because they lived around the corner from Dobbins and were unwilling to commute to Macon (or another state) to remain in the service. Just look at the deployment ops tempo of the Guard/Reserve if you doubt how important they are to our national strategy. And, in case you didn't know, a Reserve pilot doesn't have his own currency requirements - if the active pilot must log 10 airdrops per half, then so must the Reserve guy and so on. Same schools, same requirements, different patches, less pay and benefits at the end of the month. I digress.
The other factor is how BRAC works. They "close" a base but rename it for another use. The lights remain on in the buildings, the roads are still maintained - the money still comes out of someone's budget. And the runway - that still has to be paid for because of Plant 6. I bet that's one reason we see the C-130s stay - their presence helps justify and pay for the runway - otherwise there'd be greater pressure to close the Plant and all the ramifications that come with it. Not good for Atlanta.
So, there's no easy answer for any of these BRAC deals. Dobbins is a bit unique. From a military flier standpoint, it probably should close. As a Reservist, we need to keep it. For Lockheed, it'll probably stay regardless. And tax dollars will continue to keep the runway open no matter whose pot the dollars come from - it's all of ours in the end anyway.
I'm sure I don't have all the facts - just a piece of the puzzle - but that's how I see it.
Ken
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"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."
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