F/A-18 flights to increase noise over Windward Oahu
A pair of F/A-18 Hornets attached to the Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 224 "Fighting Bengals" of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C., took off from Marine Corps Air Station Hawaii yesterday to support Rim of the Pacific exercises. An additional 10 aircraft from the squadron are here to support RIMPAC 2010 before deploying to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
Windward residents can expect increased jet noise though the rest of the month with the arrival today of a dozen F/A-18 Hornets from Texas for training, the Marine Corps said.
The jets will be temporarily based at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay while supporting pre-deployment training on Hawaii island.
The 12 jets are scheduled to depart in early August. Area residents can anticipate increased aircraft activity due to day and night operations, which are scheduled to end at 11 p.m. daily, the Marine Corps said.
Maintenance may continue throughout early-morning hours to ensure aircraft readiness and safety.
The aircraft, pilots and crewmen are from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 in Fort Worth, Texas. The aircraft will support Marines of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment during Exercise Lava Viper at Pohakuloa Training Area.
