Give ’Em Room:

USAF officials at RAF Mildenhall, Britain, would like to use land acquired by the British Ministry of Defence last year to give Mildenhall aircraft a little more breathing room. Lt. Col. Tom Svoboda, commander of the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron at the base, said land at the north end of the existing runway would be used to extend the airfield taxiway, providing more room for aircraft to make longer, wider turns and freeing more runway for use during inclement weather. Svoboda said the effort does not include “any kind of mission changes or increases [in aircraft].” Although he said the planned work would not “change the flight path, [and] it won’t change the flight patterns,” the MOD still must go through a zoning process. The base also wants to use some of the newly acquired land to construct a new front gate, which would involve rerouting a public road, which Svoboda said would not have much affect on local traffic but would “possibly” cut down on base traffic congestion. (Mildenhall report by Geoff Janes)