STRONG – The public comment period ends Sunday for a proposal to allow low-level jet fighter training missions over western Maine.

The Massachusetts Air National Guard has proposed that F-15 fighter pilots be allowed to fly as low as 500 feet over a 3,600-square-mile area that includes Bethel, Rumford, Rangeley and Farmington.

Pilots are now allowed to fly as low as 7,000 feet above sea level, which translates to 2,800 to 6,300 feet above ground depending on the location.

The National Guard says pilots need to train at low altitudes to be prepared for combat.

But critics have concerns about noise, safety and quality of life issues. Jet fighters roaring barely above the treetops can be a scary sight, they say.

“This is not a question of homeland security, fighting the war on terror, or supporting the troops,” said Tom Mauzaka, a retired Air Force colonel from Strong who opposes the low-level flights. “It’s about local control over our local environment. These jets will be as low as planes just about to land at the Portland [International] Jetport, but they’ll fly when and where they want.”

The fourth and final public meeting on the proposal will be held Wednesday in Farmington, said Maj. Michael Backus, Maine National Guard spokesman. Other meetings were held in Moscow, Rangeley and Rumford.

If the proposal passes, it calls for F-15 pilots to conduct low-level training exercises for about 20 hours per month during the winter months, Backus said.

The National Guard is hosting the public meetings and collecting public comments, but the final decision on the proposal will be made by the Federal Aviation Administration, he said. Written public comments will be accepted through Sunday.

In 1992, the National Guard made a similar request to lower the deck for its training flights to 300 feet. The proposal was rejected in Maine.