Did zooming aircraft wake you up overnight in the Tacoma area? Here’s what was happening
.JPG "C-17s like this one flew a number of missions from Joint Base Lewis-McChord overnight, base officials said.")
Tacoma and Lakewood residents are used to airplane noise, but Wednesday night and Thursday morning was a lot for some residents.
Tanker (refueling) aircraft, C-17s from the 62nd Airlift Wing and a pair of tired fighter crews made for a busy night at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Both Tacoma and Lakewood are situated in the flight path of McChord Field’s runway. Between 6 p.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, residents were exposed to a confluence of different missions, according to 62nd Airlift Wing spokesperson Joe Kubistek.
The noisiest was probably the pair of fighters that arrived around 5 a.m.
“Two F-35s came in for fuel and to rest overnight,” he said. “They will be departing this afternoon.”
In addition, tanker aircraft used for refueling were flying in and out of JBLM and C-17s, which are stationed at McChord, were flying missions between midnight and 6 a.m.
“Everybody wanted to do similar things at the same time,” Kubistek said.
The Lockheed-Martin F-35 has stealth capabilities and is considered to be the world’s most advanced multi-role fighter jet. It is used by multiple military branches.
This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 11:46 AM.
