NSW: Fighter jets flying when residents' homes shook

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2006
NSW: Fighter jets flying when residents' homes shook

By Vincent Morello and Paul Carter

SYDNEY, Dec 5 AAP - Fighter jets were flying on the mid-north coast yesterday when
residents in the area reported their homes shook from a suspected earth tremor, the Defence
Department said today.

A spokeswoman said F/A-18 Hornets from two squadrons stationed at Williamtown RAAF
Base near Newcastle were on low-altitude flying missions last night when concerned residents
contacted police about 9.30pm (AEDT).

F-111 jets from Amberley RAAF Base at Ipswich in Queensland also were flying over the
area, she said.

"We can confirm that there were Hornet F/A-18 aircraft flying over that area," she said.

But the spokeswoman would not say whether this was what residents heard when they reported
a suspected earthquake.

In Canberra, Geoscience Australia, the agency that measures seismic activity, said
it had not recorded any tremor in the area.

The Defence spokeswoman would not confirm the number of fighter jets or how low they
were flying over the area.

"We're not planning to investigate it at this stage - all we're doing is confirming
that our aircraft were in fact flying in that area at that time," the Defence spokeswoman
said.

Taree police took "a lot" of calls from people in the area reporting an earthquake.

"Most of the calls came from Forster, with people saying their windows and doors were
rattling," a NSW police spokesman said.

"A few residents were concerned people were breaking into their homes."

Local radio 2RE announcer Jeremy Miller said he started taking calls about 9.25pm (AEDT)
from people wondering what was happening.

"It was felt around Forster, Nabiac and then up as far as Taree, Wingham."

Military aircraft from the Williamtown base fly most nights along the NSW mid-north
coast and as far west as Coonabarabran and Mudgee, the defence spokeswoman said.

Weather can amplify the noise, she said.

"If there's low cloud or anything like that there's all sorts of things that can make
aircraft seem a lot louder," she said.

Williamtown receives enough calls from nearby residents about the noise that it has
an 800-number to take complaints and inform people of the flying schedules.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, aircraft will fly the region until from 4pm to 10pm (AEDT)
with low-altitude flights from 8.30pm to 10pm.

Low altitude flights will happen on Thursday from 10am to 10pm (AEDT).

AAP vpm/klw/maur/bwl

KEYWORD: RATTLE DAYLEAD

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.