Warbird Information Exchange

Low-flying planes cause buzz

By John Lowman
The Facts

Published October 2, 2009

ANGLETON — A pair of military aircraft flying low over parts of Brazoria County were part of a training mission, emergency personnel said Thursday, but officials struggled to find out where the planes came from and why they were here.

They’re still not sure.

The massive C-17 Globemaster and smaller C-47 Skytrain caused phones to light up at the offices of Brazoria County officials. They were reported over Angleton about 11:30 a.m. and left the area just after noon.

The Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office received about two dozen calls from the public about the planes, the same number as the Angleton Police Department.

“We confirmed with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) that there were military aircraft in the central Brazoria County area,” Brazoria County Assistant Emergency Manager Steve Rosa said. “There was no reason to be alarmed, but they didn’t clear anything with us.”

They likely don’t have to, a federal aviation department spokesman said. As long as the planes are flying below 10,000 feet using Visual Flight Rules — other pilots can see them and they can see other pilots — there is no violation of air laws and a detailed flight plan isn’t required, the spokesman said.

The C-17 cargo plane is 174 feet long and 55 feet high, has a wingspan of 170 feet and a maximum, loaded takeoff weight of 585,000 pounds, according to the U.S. Air Force Web site. The C-17 transport is 63 feet 9 inches long, 17 feet high and has a wingspan of 95 feet 6 inches. Its maximum takeoff weight is 31,000 pounds.

Planes that size are required to fly at an altitude of at least 1,000 feet in densely populated areas and at least 500 feet in less-populated areas, Brazoria County Airport Director Jeff Bilyeu said.

“That’s generally speaking, for civilians,” Bilyeu said. “Those are the federal regulations we’re expected to adhere to.”

Calls to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army were not returned Thursday. Brazoria County Emergency Management on Sept. 22 received an e-mail from the Army Test and Evaluation Command stating a C-27J cargo plane would be tested over areas around Houston Oct. 12 through Oct. 16, Rosa said.

The e-mail made no mention of Thursday’s flight.

The letter was copied to the Department of Homeland Security for clearance, but aside from discounting any serious risk to the area, a Homeland Security officer would not comment on Thursday’s flights. Calls and e-mail to the Army Test and Evaluation Command were not returned.

Some Brazoria County officials said they would have appreciated notice before the planes flew over cities and near chemical plants, including Dow and BASF.

Arthur Velasquez, executive assistant to County Judge E.J. “Joe” King, said aviation officials told him the planes are privately owned, but he did not know who owns them.

“They can fly anywhere as long as they’re not in restricted airspace,” Velasquez said. “We’re being told they’re practicing for the Wings Over Houston Air Show.It would have been good to know something to answer the number of calls we got. It would have been helpful, but there’s nothing that says we have to know that. They can fly anywhere another privately owned plane can go as long as they’re not in restricted airspace.”

Photos of the C-17 Globemaster III and smaller C-47 Skytrain are posted at the Wings Over Houston Web site, but a spokeswoman with Wings Over Houston said planes for that show weren’t yet in town. Officials with Ellington Field near Pearland, the Houston Airport System and Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston said the planes did not take off from their airstrips.

The C-17 can take off and land on runways as short as 3,500 feet, according to the Air Force Web site. The Brazoria County Airport’s runway is 7,000 feet long. While planes as large as a C-17 do fly in Brazoria County airspace, it’s not a regular occurrence, Bilyeu said.

“We see them from time to time,” Bilyeu said. “They come to airports and practice approaches and training. It’s not unheard of, but it’s rare.”

Maneuvers with similar planes were done about six months ago and prompted the same response from the public, said Pete David, training supervisor at the Brazoria County Airport.

“Everybody on Highway 288 was stopping,” he said.

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