MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, reduces noise in the local area with the use of new hush houses.
Aircraft operate during the day, so night is maintenance time. Using these hush house facilities allow nighttime testing to be conducted without the sound of the engines disturbing station residents or people in the local area outside of the station.
“I believe the new hush house is much quieter than older hush houses I have worked with in the past,” said Staff Sgt. George Gallegos, engine test facilities supervisor with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12. “When testing engines in the new facilities, anyone standing outside of the building will hear more of a suction of air, vice the actual engine itself.”
With the lack of noise releasing from the hush house, service members can conduct engine tests at night without the risk of disturbing station residents and local citizens just beyond the gate.
“Standard operating procedures for aircraft testing is to utilize the hush house facilities during the night time to reduce noise pollution,” said Gallegos. “Most of the noise that is heard during the day is from normal airport or flightline operations.”
The new hush houses started being used in 2014 and operate based on the needs of units on the air station.
“I’ve been here for four years. I’ve seen the old facilities. They are nothing compared to these new ones,” said Sgt. Arthur Wlodarski, an engine test facilities technician with MALS-12.
Building and using facilities like these help strengthen the bond between the air station and the local community by showing that the station listens to the needs of the community and are doing their best to accommodate local citizens.