Did you hear those jet noises last night?
You weren’t imagining it – the distant sound of rolling thunder, the rising pitch, the WOOSH overhead at Dee Why, North Curl Curl, Balgowlah, Manly…it went on for well over an hour last night until about 11pm (Wednesday 26 October 2022), and there was similar about two days earlier. You can expect it again tonight and again tomorrow.
The sound is from ‘Operation Black Phoenix’, Manly Observer has come to understand through reliable sources. These are a series of training operations over the Sydney Basin by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The exercise is scheduled to run from 24 October to 28 October 2022.
It can be a little difficult to find out in real time whether one’s country is being invaded, the Concord suddenly returned to service or, the more likely explanation, our defence force is in training.
Information about training exercises IS available, (here for future reference: https://defence.gov.au/AircraftNoise/Williamtown/FlyingOperations.asp) but it’s bathed heavily in jargon and a little hard to understand for the militarily uninitiated.
This site also confirms training events not far from the Sydney area over the same period, with noise travel possible.
It states:
“The Eastern Airspace extends up to 130 nautical miles over the ocean to the east of RAAF Base Williamtown.
The majority of flying activity from RAAF Base Williamtown – up to 70 percent – occurs in the eastern airspace. This area is used for a wide variety of activities including fighter aircraft air intercept training and air-to-air gunnery. Open water training is conducted daily and normally transit through the Eastern flying corridor.
Posted rates of flying can change without notice.
During night training operations, aircraft may dispense Electronic Countermeasure flares. These flares are a very bright white flare than can be at times, visible from the shoreline and can be misinterpreted as a marine distress flare.
To submit a noise complaint by phone call 1800 033 200 or submit a noise complaint online .”
