Turbine proposal prompts concern by CareFlight pilot, OSP commander

In addition to local residents, emergency first responders are considering how the proposal to site 70 wind turbines in Champaign County will impact them.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued notices of presumed hazard to navigable airspace for 38 of the proposed sites, noting their potential negative impact on Grimes Field, where a CareFlight hangar is located, and the privately-owned Weller Airport, which was used for a helicopter landing and takeoff to transport a crash victim on Oct. 6.

Bob Herbert, a CareFlight pilot contracted by Miami Valley Health Systems, shared his thoughts on the effect of wind turbines and their relation to air ambulance service. Local private pilot Nino Vitale interviewed Herbert on behalf of the Daily Citizen on Oct. 14.

"I didn't know that much about the project until a week or so ago," Herbert said. "I thought there would be a few in remote areas of the county, but this many? Wow!"

When asked how it would affect CareFlight operations in the county, Herbert said he has FAA requirements and additional operations specifications that his company requires for safety reasons that could impede flights.

"There are certain minimums we have to maintain and must stay out of the clouds and above the tallest object in the area and we also have to remain 500 feet below any cloud ceiling," he said. "Raising the obstruction minimum in an area restricts flights that can be made to deliver critical care. There will be many blocks of airspace near the turbines that will be shut down for CareFlight service."

That could include two local spots that have frequent crashes, namely the intersections of Three Mile Road and state Route 29 and the intersection of U.S. Route 36 and state Route 814/Ludlow Road.

Herbert said he has limited experience flying near turbines in another state.

"I once flew near a wind farm near Morgantown, W. Va., but there is no need for medical flights there as the turbines are not located near people," he said.

FAA regulations state flight operations must remain 500 feet below the clouds and 500 feet from the nearest obstruction during daylight hours at a minimum. At night, those restrictions are even higher with a distance of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of five miles. Herbert noted that those are minimums and visibility conditions and company requirements only add to the minimums mandated by the FAA.

Herbert expressed concern about the impact of turbines on flying at night, since the diameter of the blades proposed in the project could be up to 328 feet and CareFlight responds to a large number of severe crashes when visibility isn't optimal due to time of day or weather conditions.

"How do I determine a turbine from a tower?" Herbert asked. "Towers are lit at the top and don't move or create turbulence; turbines are lit 100 feet or more below the actual top and have rotating blades that cannot be seen in a wide area. We are a 12-hour-a-day minimum facility with many 24-hour days, often with flights in the dark. With too many altitude restrictions and too many (turbines) in a small area, where do you go?"

Herbert said the prospect of turbines worries him and other air ambulance pilots.

"Bottom line, helicopter operations in Champaign County will be limited and this could delay critical care needed in assisting victims of accidents to Level 1 trauma centers in Dayton and Columbus," he said.

Nancy Thickel, a spokeswoman for Miami Valley Hospital, said a program manager with CareFlight's parent company, based in Pennsylvania, is considering the issue. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, more than 300 megawatts of wind power generation facilities are operational in that state. One of those facilities is another Everpower development, the 62.5 MW Highland project, which became operational in August 2009.

Lt. Rick Zwayer, commander of the Marysville Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, said the safety of the motoring public is the first priority for the OSHP, but the agency is also tasked with handling initial investigations for all aircraft accidents in the state.

"We have a mutual concern with CareFlight, but since we are also responsible for investigating aircraft crashes, we are doubly concerned with safety," he said. "We don't just respond to road crashes. We also fly patrol aircraft, such as fixed-wing planes doing traffic enforcement and assisting other law enforcement agencies, and we have helicopters to help with search and rescue, marijuana eradication and special response situations."

Zwayer said the number of turbines and the proximity siting to each other can increase the potential for danger to traffic and air travel.

"Initially, without having them in the area, and no studies on traffic, it would be speculation on my part to say that they would be a distraction, but common sense is if they're new to an area it would definitely be a distraction for some drivers as would any new landmark," Zwayer said of the effect on vehicular traffic. "It would certainly be a change to the environment and we'd have to adjust. Our concern is what kind of adjustments have to be made and what effect that would have on our operations in the area. Safety is our primary responsibility."