JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The tragic crash involving a US Army helicopter and United Airlines plane in Washington DC is raising questions about the safety of military training exercises near civilian airports, including here in Jacksonville.
The Air National Guard has a base right near Jacksonville International Airport.
But an air traffic control expert that spoke with Action News Jax argued there should be no concerns from the public about the proximity of the base to the airport.
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Dr. Michael McCormick is an Associate Professor of Air Traffic Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“The rules that apply for civilian aircraft are the same rules that are applied for military aircraft,” said McCormick.
WATCH: NTSB briefing on its investigation into plane, helicopter crash in DC
McCormick explained air traffic controllers routinely coordinate with civilian, commercial and military aircraft simultaneously.
“The communication is the same the phraseology is the same and the procedures are the same. So, there’s little likelihood of a misunderstanding,” said McCormick.
While other airports, like Jacksonville International Airport, are located near military or Air National Guard bases, McCormick argued you would never see a training exercise like the one that was underway in Washington DC being conducted near any other airport.
Read: ‘I want to get in the air, get home’ Jacksonville flyers speak out after tragic plane crash
He explained that training exercise was a simulated evacuation of top military and civilian officials out of the nation’s capital.
“So, they need to train just as if they were actually flying the mission. That includes a training mission at night, so that they can be intimately familiar with what Washington DC is like, what it’s like to fly through there, what it’s like to be based in there and then how best to operate in there,” said McCormick.
McCormick stressed air travel remains one of the safest modes of transportation.
He argued you’re at more risk driving to JIA, than you are taking off from it.
Read: Army helicopter, plane crash: What we know about the victims
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