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Did You Hear Them? Take-Offs & Intervening Landing By F-18's As Part of Toyota Grand Prix (April 13, 2003, updated April 14) -- Did you hear them? Several F-18s made two [update] One (perhaps two, hard to get precise info) departed at about 7:40 p.m. on April 13. Two took off on Monday morning April 14 between 10:25 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. [end update] Further details, including noise levels, were not immediately available. It is standard procedure for F-18's to use afterburners on take offs, producing noise levels expected for military purposes significantly louder than commercial aircraft.
An March 30 F18 Sound decibels (powers of 10) reflect logarithmic increases...and a 10 dB increase is roughly (very roughly) perceived as double the noise level. (Time of day is also a factor; a noise perceived as moderate at 2 p.m. may be perceived as very loud at 2 a.m.) A memo several years ago by LB Airport's acoustical consultant [attached to an airport staff report opposing new residential development proposed at the Boeing site] described noise levels as follows:
Military flights are categorically exempt from LB's Airport noise ordinance limits. City Hall treats the F-18 flights for the CA Angels game and LB Grand Prix as exempt, meaning their noise did not violate LB's noise limits.
[LBReport.com comment: In our opinion, these F18 flights were for corporate promotional purposes and in our view, the corporate interests that arranged them do not deserve the exemption.]
The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is owned and operated by Grand Prix Association of Long beach, Inc., a subsidiary of Dover Motorsports, Inc.
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The F-18s, which arrived late Friday afternoon (April 11), took off from LB Airport at about noon April 13, flew over the LB Grand Prix, then returned to LB Airport (one over ELB, right) about an hour later.