COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Federal land managers are mulling a request by Fort Carson to use public land for high altitude helicopter training.
The Colorado Springs Gazette reports the post has used land supervised by the Bureau of Land Management's Royal Gorge Field Office for training since 2010 on a "temporary and infrequent basis." But Fort Carson officials are seeking a long-term agreement.
The post and the Army Corps of Engineers want to use land in Teller, Fremont and Park counties to give pilots experience operating helicopters at a high altitude and in mountainous terrain because it is "imperative for combat deployments to mountainous regions."
More than 40 people attended a public meeting about the proposal Wednesday night. Their most common concern was helicopter noise.
