Cannon officials advise residents of what to expect during training operations

Freedom New Mexico: Thomas Garcia Ray Gobberg, 2nd Lt. public information officer at Cannon Air Force Base, in Clovis, discusses the military fly over that occured the night of June 16 at Tucumcari.

Low-flying military planes won’t be a nightly occurrence in Tucumcari or other area communities and, when they are, Cannon Air Force Base officials will try to notify city leaders in advance.

But training in unfamiliar areas is important for Cannon pilots, officials told about a dozen area residents on Wednesday at the Tucumcari Convention Center.

Some city residents were alarmed June 16 when a Cannon plane circled the city for about an hour.

Wednesday’s meeting was designed to inform the community about what to expect from Cannon operations in coming months.

Members of Cannon’s 27th Special Operation Wing spoke about AC-130H Spectre gunships and other planes stationed at the base west of Clovis.

“These planes are very large and slow and when they are in combat they are usually flown at night,” said Capt. Michael Murphy.