Loud sonic booms heard across the Puget Sound
Two F-15′s from Portland caused sonic booms as they flew across the Puget Sound in response to a possible breach of the no-fly zone for President Obama’ visit to the Puget Sound today. The sonic boom’s were heard all over the Puget Sound.
Our newspartner, the Seattle Times, has more:
Two loud sonic booms heard around the Seattle area shortly before 2 p.m. Tuesday were caused by two F-15 jets, according to Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The F-15s were being “scrambled” because someone flew a plane inside the temporary flight-restrictions area set up around Boeing Field, he said.
President Obama landed at Boeing Field as part of his tour of Seattle on Tuesday, which includes a stop at an eatery, the Westin Hotel and fundraiser venues.
The airspace can be restricted for up to a 30-mile radius around an area, and up to 18,000 feet high, according to the notice.
So many calls related to the sonic booms were made to the Pierce County 911 call center that it shut the operation down for a time, according to detective Ed Troyer, spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The two jets took off from the 142nd Oregon Air National Guard Wing in Portland, said spokeswoman Major Melinda Lapore.
The jets went to intercept a small aircraft in the no-fly zone near Seattle, Lapore said.
Read more at the Seattle Times.
[image (stock photo) courtesy elpresidente408]
Glad I’m working from home today. I’m sure Boeing field is chaos today (especially now)… I bet the pilot of that little Cessna wishes he never got wheels up today.
BTW, nice that you got an actual F-18 in the photo… most mistake the F-18 for the F-15 and vice versa…
I just realized the Times article said F-15′s. I read F-18′s elsewhere so I’m not sure what was correct.
I saw F-18s in articles as well… they are VERY similar, so easy to mistake. I didn’t see the jets, so I have no idea other than what I read. If they came out of Portland they really could be PANGB F-15′s from the 142nd.So now, I re-read your posting from the Seattle Times… LOL… did you change it, or did I just NOT read it the first time… oy. No more coffee for me!
Time to call it a day…
I actually feel sorry for the pilot of the small plane and his family. They just came back from a vacation and they are being scolded and threatened with federal violations.