A Holloman Air Force Base commander says the Air Force will pay if sonic booms from training flights damage property in the surrounding communities. The Alamogordo Daily News reports Col. David Krumm met with mountain residents in Cloudcroft last week to discuss how the base is trying to lessen the impact of sonic booms.
Residents say the sonic booms are more intense in the mountains and sometimes cause broken windows and concussions. Krumm says he has tried to revise the plan for how and when F-22 pilots practice maneuvers to minimize any high-intensity booms.
Krumm says there should be a sharp decrease in sonic booms with the departure of the F-22 and the arrival of the F-16 training squadrons from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.