Celle Air Base - Criticism

Criticism

In the course of time the city of Celle has expanded towards the actual air base, a development which occurred at other military airfields too. Since the inception of the air base the attitude of the public towards the military and its training facilities has changed significantly. The first complaints about aircraft noise were published in the local newspapers shortly after the German Army Aviation Corps took control of the air base. The complaints reached a climax in 1965 when plans were made public to have a second runway, leading from the northeast to the southwest, built at Celle Air Base and to have a wing of strike fighters stationed at the airfield. Residents, mostly from Wietzenbruch, founded a voluntary association and petitioned the federal parliament. The plans were abandoned and after the Federal Ministry had given assurances that only helicopters would be stationed at Celle Air Base the association dissolved. The noise produced by the helicopters, however, remained a subject of contention in local newspapers.

Since the 1990s areas directly to the north of the air base have been demarcated for land development, namely Westercelle, and Altencelle. These areas are situated directly beneath the approach path of runway 26. Even though developers and prospective buyers were previously informed regarding the proximity of the airfield and also benefited from reduced house prices, some did not realise the actual effects of living close to an active airfield, particularly during periods of night flight training, which has led to numerous complaints.

Following German reunification Army Aviation Regiment 16 equipped with helicopters of the type Bölkow Bo-105 remained the only flying unit at Celle. The disbandment of this regiment in 2002 and the subsequent establishment of the helicopter training school from 2003 onwards resulted in a significant increase in air traffic and brought the issue of noise pollution back on the agenda. When helicopters of the type Bell UH-1D were relocated to Celle Air Base in the spring of 2005 it caused additional protest by the population living in the vicinity of the airfield. The sound made by the rotor blades (colloquially called "carpet beater") is perceived as particularly noisy in comparison with the Bölkow Bo-105. Many residents who had bought houses or had them built during the relatively silent years were surprised by this new intensity of aircraft noise.

As a reaction to this criticism units based at Celle voluntarily restrict themselves to circle the aerodrome only over the mostly uninhabited area to the south of the air base and to avoid training approaches over Westercelle as much as possible. Flight movements at lunch time are kept to a minimum. Approach as well as departure over densely populated areas is prohibited. These restrictions relieve the built-up areas surrounding the air base of noise pollution to a certain degree. They have, however, the effect that flight movements are now channelled along the remaining routes permitted leading to an increase of noise and of annoyance to the population affected. Since many retired soldiers and staff formerly working at the base still live in and around Celle there are not only critics of the air base but also supporters who voice their opinion in various forums and letters to the editor stressing the economic factor of the air base and the fact that the air base had existed since 1934 so that the opponents were in full knowledge of its existence when they bought property at reduced prices in its vicinity.