Heard the planes over West Seattle? We did too.

(Photo added 10:57 pm – taken by “Uncle Mikey” in Schmitz Park area)
4:03 PM: Checking around to see what that was all about … one person on Twitter says it was “three fighter jets,” someone else described it as two fighter jets escorting a plane. Yet another person on Twitter says two F-16s and an A-6 Intruder.

4:10 PM: KING calls it “a photo op, F-18s & EA-6B.” (Still looking for details, though, half-an-hour later … will add whenever some emerge!)

4:54 PM: Now it seems a historic MiG-29 may have been the noisemaker, with “chase planes.” So says KIRO 7. Here’s the MiG’s test-flight takeoff from Snohomish County:

Story still in motion, though!

9 PM: As Mike points out in comments, looks like we have our final answer – details on the photo op that KING mentioned. (The MiG, apparently, was a coincidence.) Here’s the KING story, with photos of the planes you heard/saw.

Toni February 8, 2011 (4:06 pm)

I saw 3 what looked to be F-18’s flying southwest over Northgate

herongrrrl February 8, 2011 (4:06 pm)

I heard them pass twice; second time saw 3 fighter planes in formation heading NW across the Sound. Just came here to see what they’re doing!

CanDo February 8, 2011 (4:06 pm)

Three of them – flew low right over my house, West of the Alaska Junction. Two looked like military jets, flying on either side of some other kind of plane.

Chris February 8, 2011 (4:07 pm)

Just got back from walking my dog saw three fighter jets in v formation Also saw what I thought was an AWAX plane.

rlv February 8, 2011 (4:09 pm)

They flew in formation, past the Space Needle heading south.

Scott February 8, 2011 (4:10 pm)

The one plane looked like a EA-6B Prowler and the other two could have been f-15’s or f-18’s.

Susie Fitzhugh February 8, 2011 (4:12 pm)

Think it could have something to do with the big airshow in San Diego this coming weekend?

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/10/special-navy-airshow-announced-celebrate-centennia/

Babs February 8, 2011 (4:14 pm)

Fighter Jets just having fun?

anon February 8, 2011 (4:16 pm)

just heard it was a photo op

cjboffoli February 8, 2011 (4:17 pm)

Maverick: Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a fly-by.
.
Airboss: Negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.
.
(Rumble. Spilled coffee)

Allison Carver February 8, 2011 (4:30 pm)

My 10-year-old son saw them fly over Alki school and reported to me they were two F-18s and an A-6 flying in Delta formation. I consider his plane details solid intel. ;)

WSB February 8, 2011 (4:32 pm)

Thanks all. No one seems to have come up with anything definitive yet – the aforementioned San Diego event actually starts Thursday
http://navalaviation100.org/details/1-centennial-kickoff-event-and-aerial-review
.
but who knows if this was related. We’ll update whenever we get something for sure!

j February 8, 2011 (4:33 pm)

Regardless an A6 and 2 F18’s do not fly photo ops with a fricken awax something is up.

Alki Resident February 8, 2011 (4:36 pm)

^ yeah but that feb 10 – feb 13.?

WSB February 8, 2011 (4:39 pm)

Right. Speculating WILDLY … could be an advance event. Or COMPLETELY unrelated. Still looking everywhere for info, including our big-media friends …

Chris February 8, 2011 (4:40 pm)

@j – is there a confirmed AWACS? Also – why wouldn’t they fly for a photo-op with an AWACS? Do you known what type of photo-op they were doing? Maybe even a movie?

Allison Carver February 8, 2011 (4:41 pm)

Josh wants me to add: “F-16s have one tail and the planes I saw had two tails, so were F-18s. I could tell it was an A-6 because the fuselage was bigger in the front and smaller in the back, had only one tail and was carrying two fuel tanks.”

WSB February 8, 2011 (5:04 pm)

have Josh take a look at the MiG takeoff we added. there doesn’t seem to be a consensus yet among regional media sources regarding whether that was it or not!

Allison Carver February 8, 2011 (5:14 pm)

Tracy, he looked at the video and said that it wasn’t any of the planes he saw. He’s pretty certain. Not sure if being ten gives him more or less credibility in the plane-identification department, ha.

WSB February 8, 2011 (5:16 pm)

Another media friend of mine says the story is different, so we will see what THEY have to say shortly :)

Allison Carver February 8, 2011 (5:16 pm)

Also he explained that the A-6 has a fuel pipe sticking up on top of it’s nose, so that may have been what caused some people to think AWAC??

cjboffoli February 8, 2011 (5:26 pm)

Allison: AWACs are very distinctive, owing to the large radar disc mounted on the top of their fuselages.

kumalavula February 8, 2011 (5:35 pm)

all i know is that they made enough noise so that my cranked up ipod was drowned out and i had to think to myself, “wait, this isn’t seafair practice, is it?!”

Allison Carver February 8, 2011 (5:37 pm)

Yep we’ve seen the AWAC at Boeing field. Just looking for a reason so many different types of planes have been identified or mis-identified. Maybe it truly was just a flying free-for-all up there today … :)

Bob G February 8, 2011 (5:43 pm)

One (former Soviet) MIG-29 being flown around with apparently other a/c down in SEA; the MIG is owned by The Historical Flight Museum. They’re refurb-ing 2 others for eventual sale. Based out of Paine Field, so I have a ringside seat!

Engines are low-bypass, OPR=21 turbofan with FADEC and a throttleable afterburner – so they’re LOUD.

WSB February 8, 2011 (5:46 pm)

According to our most reliable source (whose story is STILL in the works), the MiG was coincidental to another aviation display that is believed to be what we saw here. Once they put up their pix we’ll know!

clark5080 February 8, 2011 (5:56 pm)

http://historicflight.org/hf/ is the owner of the mig that was up and testing today and tomorrow after a lengthy restoration

westsea February 8, 2011 (6:04 pm)

I am bummed. I have been home all day and missed it..

doggydodo February 8, 2011 (7:53 pm)

Bob G you are such a geek with your OPR-21 info ;) Here is what Bob is referring to http://historicflight.org/hf/news-events/
— it was flying up over Everett out of Paine field today — perhaps over West Seattle too? Or was it something different we all heard vibrating our picture windows?

John February 8, 2011 (8:12 pm)

There were two F-18s and one E-6B – saw them twice while out jogging. Didn’t hear or see the MIG, which would have made just as much noise.

Mike February 8, 2011 (8:24 pm)

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_navy_jets.html

SEATTLE — Whidbey Island Naval Air Station spokeswoman Kim Martin says three Navy jets that roared over Seattle on Tuesday were taking part in a photo opportunity.

She says photographers were getting shots of the EA-6B Prowler, and two EA-18G Growlers with Pacific Northwest scenery in them for the Navy.

KING-TV says the jets are painted in World War II themes to celebrate the centennial of naval aviation.

—

Information from: KING-TV, http://www.king5.com/

WSB February 8, 2011 (8:37 pm)

Thanks, Mike, I’ve been watching for KING’s story – that’s who hinted at me that they had a different angle than their crosstown rivals. Will add to the main story.

kb February 8, 2011 (8:53 pm)

I was at work downtown when they flew over and we were all wondering what was going on. I love you WS Blog. I knew I could come home and get the scoop here! Thanks

geroge February 8, 2011 (9:20 pm)

Who ever they were, please come by again!

Todd February 8, 2011 (11:04 pm)

It may have been a photo op showing the new and the old .. The EA-18G “Growler” is replacing the EA-6B “Prowler” at Whidbey NAS.. I grew up there and it was very cool to see EA-6B’s flying everyday and the A-6 as well before it was decomissioned.. I am jealous that now people will get to see basically an F-18 flying around everyday.

I heard them / saw them from a distance and knew I could come here and get the scoop.

Thanks again WSB!

Spooled February 9, 2011 (2:16 am)

The AWACS sighting could have been the R.A.A.F. Wedgetail (B-737 with a dorsal fin) that landed at Paine Field shortly after the Mig took off.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_737_AEW%26C

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