4/22/25
We have recently been receiving more detailed responses from Davis-Monthan to nuisance flight reports. Note that while these may contain some useful info, they are “form” responses and are not necessarily responsive to any specifics. (After one exchange the respondent admitted that they hadn’t actually even checked whether the flight in question was from D-M.)
If you receive one of these, suggestions on how you might respond are given at the end.
Here is an example of a response recently received:
“Thank you for contacting the 355th Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. I wanted to provide some information on why you are observing military aircraft near your property in the Chiricahua Mountains.
Using the address information you provided, your parcel borders the Tombstone Military Operations Area (MOA), which encompasses 2.5 million acres in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It has been a designated special-use airspace MOA since 1975.
Flying units from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the Arizona Air National Guard, US Army, and other military units utilize this airspace for vital training activities including, but not limited to, air combat maneuvers, air intercepts, and low altitude tactics. Further southwest of your location, there are also two Military Training Routes (VR-259 and VR-263) where fast moving jets are authorized to fly low-level routes.
In the Tombstone MOA, aircraft are permitted to fly down to 500 feet above ground level. On VR-259 military aircraft can fly down to 300 feet above ground level and down to 100 feet above ground level on VR-263. While military aircraft can fly at these lower altitudes, the Federal Aviation Regulation 91.119 does specify that aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle or structure. So while aircraft may be able to fly as low as 100 feet above ground level, in the vicinity of people or structures, the aircraft would have to be either 500 lateral feet away from a person or structure or 500 feet over the top.
Here is a link to the Code of Federal Regulations, 91.119, “Minimum safe altitudes”:
Here is more information about Military Operations Areas regulations:
If you’re interested in looking at an Aeronautical Chart that shows the MOA you can use this website called Sky Vector ( https://skyvector.com/ ). It’s not a Department of Defense website but might be helpful. You can select Arizona from the “Charts” option.
We log all noise complaints we receive and share them with base operations/flight personnel. Complaints are also briefed quarterly to airfield operations senior leaders. Your complaint has been logged and reported.
I hope this information has been helpful in explaining the military’s use of airspace near your residence.
//SIGNED//
ABBEY J. RIEVES, SSgt, USAF
NCOIC, Community Engagement
355th Wing Public Affairs
Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ
DSN: 312-228-3406/COMM: (520) 228-3406″
If you receive a response like this, we suggest following up with questions such as these as relevant to your complaint:
- Can you verify that this was a flight from Davis-Monthan?
- Can you verify that this flight was at an altitude of ___?
- Can you verify that this flight was over ________?
- Can you verify that this flight was outside of the MOA boundary?
- Can you verify that these flights in question flew directly over structures as we observed? If so, what remedy or mitigations are being pursued to avoid this in the future? How does D-M determine or monitor flights directly over people or structures?*
- What other actions are available to me to complain about this?
* We are seeking clarification regarding the rules about flying directly over persons, vessels, vehicles, or structures, because we have received contradictory information on this.