In their own words: 73 Vermonters describe their exposures to F-35 noise

What it's like to be exposed to F-35 training flights low over Winooski, Burlington, Williston, Colchester, and S. Burlington

All quoted exactly from the F-35 Fall-Winter Report and Complaint Form. Click to see all the data from the F-35 Fall-Winter Report and Complaint Form.

Click to add your own report about your exposure to the F-35 Fall-Winter Report and Complaint Form.

Here are 73 of the in-your-own words descriptions of exposure to F-35 noise plus a few of the graphs Google Forms automatically generated.

Very disruptive and stressful. My ears are sensitive and prone to tinnitus. When they fly over I must physically cover my ears and also wear ear protection if I have it near.

Insanely loud, an unbelievable waste of taxpayer money, and it's beyond unbearable.

Had to shut windows

The noise hurt my ears unless plugged.

On this day I was being shown a home by a realtor in Williston. The noise was so unbearable and repeated (I counted 9+ flights in succession) that I told the realtor we were not interested in making an offer. He and I were not able to speak during the time the planes were flying over the backyard of the house. I took video and audio because I was so distressed and disappointed.

When the F-35's fly overhead I cannot have a conversation with someone sitting right next to me, or on the phone. The noise distracts me from the task I am working on and causes anxiety

I was outside at a friend's house when the practice flight took off. It was so loud that my ears continued ringing long after the take offs.

I was ready to put up with the F-35s, but the noise is louder, scarier and more painful than anyone could imagine. I wish Leahy or Sanders could be in our apartment to hear it for themselves. Then they wouldn't have been so quick to allow them. They are a menace. They are unbearable. They are going to ruin the real estate values in Winooski. The VT Air Nat'l Guard has betrayed our trust--they fly anytime without warning to the residents. They lie about how loud the planes will be or when they will fly. They don't deserve to be here where they have betrayed those who were willing to welcome them.

Absolutely horrible. I have to run through the house, closing all of the windows to try to drown out the noise when they go by. My dogs are absolutely terrified and one of my dogs has been wetting her bed on nights that they fly over because her anxiety gets so bad.

These jets have disrupted my sleep, routinely terrorize my pet, and cause such a degree of internal and external vibration that I fear for my rental unit. I cannot have my dog outside when they fly overhead without him whimpering, shaking and expressing extreme distress. I work overnights a few days a week so no matter when they fly they impact my sleep. Yes, this might be unique to me, but the night flyovers are pushing it too far.

Physical pain in my ears if caught outside while they’re flying overhead

I have tinnitus now.

It’s not just the noise- it’s the intensity and quality of the noise. Very different from F-16. My entire body has a visceral response and I get triggered into a migraine.

I see the children suddenly cover their ears. They hear it first. All hands cover our ears and grimace as the F-35s scream overhead. Tyler yells. He can tolerate his own noise and it relieves some of the distress.

Another plane follows. We relax and a few minutes 2 more shatter our evening.

I moved from the flight path at Keen's Crossing in Winooski to North Avenue in Burlington, thinking I would escape the low flying, and the deafening noise. Don't know whether the F-35's have changed their flight course, but they fly low over our neighborhood. I can see them clearing the tops of the trees.

Sounds like war.

I was meeting outdoors with a client (I work as a gardener). We had to stop our conversation 5 separate times as these F35s thundered overhead.

All activities stop in the house as we can't hear each other speak

ran to shut a few open windows, shook the whole house and us

I am a composer and the F-35s significantly disrupt my work, bringing it to a standstill and interrupting my process. Every time they fly, I am reminded of the ridiculous amount of money being spent not only on building the aircraft but also on fuel. There are so many pressing needs for that money that would do actual good in the world.

when I'm outside working and the planes go overhead, all conversations need to stop, whether they are with customers or fellow employees. I need to stop what I'm doing and plug my ears, as the sound and vibrations are painful.

Today's flights were house-shaking, loud, and long.

I'm unable to continue work calls, as I cannot hear over the jets. They are uncomfortably loud, gave me an immediate headache, and cause immense frustration, disrupting my work day

I was driving at the time with the windows rolled UP. The noise was still so loud it distracted my driving. I looked up and saw an F35 so low in the sky I thought it was going to fucking land at St Francis Xavier church.

Not all F35 flights pass over our neighborhood, but they did today and our (wooden) house vibrated, and I felt the rumble in my chest. Two different times in succession.

6:25pm till 6:50pm---take-offs over Winooski that ROARED even here in Williston

Assaulted to the core-no regard for health and this community

I tense up every time I hear the F-35s. It is a sign of violence and ongoing exorbitant costs. Also, I know people say that when I moved here a few years ago, I knew I was moving close to an airport. That is true, but I was moving close to a commercial, international airport, not a military base. I would not have moved here had I known how the airport traffic would be transformed through unreasonably loud military exercises.

AWFUL!!!

These planes are absurdly loud, frightening war machines. I feel unsafe, scared, angry, and completely let down by my government representatives.

Holy hell, this morning's flights were RIDICULOUSLY LOUD! Our house was shaking, the windows were rattling, our pets were freaked out, and the noise was shocking. This is OBSCENE.

These flights are many, many decibels louder than usual. It is making our house uninhabitable. The house is shaking. We cannot hold a conversation. The cat was startled today (he has not been startled by the F-35s before).

Another house-shaking, work-interrupting, terrifying set of flights. The F-35s are a nightmare.

I am a food delivery driver so the F-35s often bother me when I am driving in Winooski. This is already a stressful job given the pandemic and the number of orders my restaurant is receiving, and so to be shocked and deafened by the planes regularly makes me feel unsafe when I'm driving, and even when I'm not driving they are painfully loud and scary to hear.

OMG! Loading my groceries and the jets were swooping, deafening, I was cursing and screaming at them, i was sp upset. You all have truly ruined my community. How can people function in this? Upset my whole body, my heart was racing. And we have to wear masks loading our cars while this vibration is beset upon us. I will not recommend vermont for a place to live to anyone I know. I used to love it. That’s all over now.

**NOTE: 1:02pm 2 of the "training" pilots ridiculously low altitude over residents!

horrible, long, roaring that lasted a long time

It makes it impossible to hear anything anyone is saying for several minutes- it’s especially inconvenient and frustrating trying to listen to my professors and do assignments as I’ve been remote for the semester. I find it sets off my anxiety, and leaves me in a distressed state.

I question the ethics of why these were put in a residential area.

My wife and I sat down after work to finish some hospital paperwork in preparation for our baby who will be born next month. Although we were sitting next to each other, we had to pause and wait for the jets to pass as the sound was too loud. The saddest part of this situation is that we are concerned about raising our baby in Williston - especially for the first few years where naps will be interrupted on a daily basis. Further, we are concerned with hearing loss for our baby - as my family has a history of adolescent hearing loss. I am happy to discuss this more - via phone, email or socially distant.

I am greatly concerned about the F-35 noise exposure. I am currently 8 months pregnant and worried about the impact of the noise on my future child. In addition to interrupting sleep schedules and the overall distressing sound of the planes, both my husband and I have a family history of hearing loss and I am concerned about potential damage from the noise. In addition, I was interrupted several times today during work and graduate classes in which I was unable to hear my colleagues and the lesson. I was interrupted by at least three flights during one meeting alone. Given how loud the noise is in Williston, I am further concerned about the noise exposure for children and families living much closer to the airport and in the flight zone. The noise exposure is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than it was proposed to be in the original plans and is completely unacceptable and a violation of our rights.

Those jets absolutely ruin peace. The sound angers me.

My whole house shook. Terrible headache. I feel they are getting lowser

I was destressing from a rough work day and had to stop walking to plug my ears for a few minutes as ~8 planes took off back to back to back to back

even inside it is too loud to be safe

this is the beginning of night flights for two weeks - unreasonable.

We have already had a week of daytime flights, night time flights , first Saturday of the month flights and now Sunday flights! This is unacceptable!

No need for this noise in a residential area.

there's no peace-can't rely on the comfort of being in my own home

at 11:2am, one particular returning F35 went off course, unlike all the others returning, careening sideways at low and unacceptable altitude over this housing development of 110 homes and directly over my home as I worked outside.

I am doing repairs on my home and had to physically stop and covering my ears for all 6 war machines to pass over

It is so loud I cannot conduct business calls

Intrusive and interruptive while I’m working from home

Insanely loud, an unbelievable waste of taxpayer money, and it's beyond unbearable.

The noise hurt my ears unless plugged.

Again, like many others, constantly have to stop conversation. My cats freak out. You can hear the high-pitched whistle seconds before the roar hits you. I was fascinated at first, but now I’m annoyed and concerned. If they are flying even a few feet lower you can feel the rumble in your chest. The high pitch might be connected to my increase in headaches. I’m a healthy person and I can power through a lot. But this noise seems excessive and totally intrusive. If a flight schedule was accessible I could at least prepare and plan my day accordingly.

I was outside at a friend's house when the practice flight took off. It was so loud that my ears continued ringing long after the take offs.

I was ready to put up with the F-35s, but the noise is louder, scarier and more painful than anyone could imagine. I wish Leahy or Sanders could be in our apartment to hear it for themselves.

Then they wouldn't have been so quick to allow them. They are a menace. They are unbearable. They are going to ruin the real estate values in Winooski. The VT Air Nat'l Guard has betrayed our trust--they fly anytime without warning to the residents. They lie about how loud the planes will be or when they will fly. They don't deserve to be here where they have betrayed those who were willing to welcome them.

Absolutely horrible. I have to run through the house, closing all of the windows to try to drown out the noise when they go by. My dogs are absolutely terrified and one of my dogs has been wetting her bed on nights that they fly over because her anxiety gets so bad.

These jets have disrupted my sleep, routinely terrorize my pet, and cause such a degree of internal and external vibration that I fear for my rental unit. I cannot have my dog outside when they fly overhead without him whimpering, shaking and expressing extreme distress. I work overnights a few days a week so no matter when they fly they impact my sleep. Yes, this might be unique to me, but the night flyovers are pushing it too far.

Physical pain in my ears if caught outside while they’re flying overhead

I have tinnitus now.

It’s not just the noise- it’s the intensity and quality of the noise. Very different from F-16. My entire body has a visceral response and I get triggered into a migraine.

I'm unable to continue work calls, as I cannot hear over the jets. They are uncomfortably loud, gave me an immediate headache, and cause immense frustration, disrupting my work day

Makes living here Absolutley miserable

Miserable to live here

Ringing in ears, pressure on ears, vibrations of part of the house

Lots of flights already today. This latest one rattled my house pretty good. It's so ridiculous to fly these planes regularly in a populated area. Ridiculous, dangerous, and cruel.

These fly bys are now happening multiple times per hour. It's incredibly distracting for someone who's job is to speak with customer on the phone.

I am looking to move out of Burlington and perhaps Vermont. When I moved to this town, it was to a relatively quiet neighborhood, near a commercial airport. Now I essentially live near a military base. The noise of the F-35s has completely altered my feelings about choosing to live in Burlington, Vermont. I pay way too much in state taxes to be subjected to this. It interrupts my work, my day-to-day life, and my well being.

I have a MIGRAINE this morning and the noise is absolutely unbearable. Please just kill me.

I can't concentrate on ANYTHING with these goddamn constant flights!! I feel like I'm living in a war zone!!!!