It turns out Rosemont High School athletes have been facing another problem other than the ups and downs of possible funding cuts.

Every day during practice, military jets doing training activities fly over the baseball field, producing noise that make it hard for coaches to instruct, Athletic Director and head varsity baseball coach Paul Martinez said.

“It’s like one or two planes and they’re just practicing. They come out over Bradshaw Road and make a hard left,” Martinez said. “[This usually happens] every two or three minutes for two to two and a half hours.”

Martinez said this has been constant every time thet get out in the field from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. to practice for the last five years.

Military agencies use the nearby Mather Airport to conduct military training activities.

In an email to Rosemont Patch, Sacramento County Airport System noise abatement staff said the airport system has letters of agreement with United States military units that would limit repetitive training to the daytime hours and up to one hour per aircraft.

Glen Rickelton, manager of planning and environment for the Sacramento County Airport System, said while this is voluntary, agencies have done a good job of adhering to the agreement and letting them know if pilots have an operational need to go beyond the terms.

Beale Airforce Base, located just outside of Marysville, commonly uses Mather Airport for military training, Sacramento County Airport System spokeswoman Gina Swankie said.

Rosemont Patch tried to contact Beale Airforce Base to find out how frequently pilots do military training at Mather Airport, but no one is immediately available for an interview.

In addition, the Sacramento County Airport System, together with communities affected by aircraft noise and the Federal Aviation Administration, has created noise abatement procedures designed to minimize exposure to noise during the nighttime hours.

For instance, pilots of departing aircrafts are encouraged to climb to higher altitude as quickly as possible. Certain types of jets are also to not begin turns until they reach 1,100 above see level.

“By getting to a certain minimum altitude, we get them higher before they initiate turnabouts and reach developed areas,” Rickelton said. 

These procedures are also up to the discretion of the pilots.

County airport staff said that majority of aircraft noise abatement procedures in the country are voluntary. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for aircraft operation once they leave the runway, has historically been reluctant to adopt mandatory procedures.

“As a result, we must rely on the air carriers and the FAA to adhere to these procedures voluntarily,” the staff said in the email. “The consistent cooperation we’ve received from the aircraft operators and the FAA in developing and implementing such procedures at our facilities has been effective in reducing aircraft overflight noise exposure.”

Rosemont Patch will continue to follow up with Beale Air Force Base and other military agencies about how strictly they adhere to the terms of agreement with the Sacramento County Airport System.