Did you hear an incredibly loud roar in the sky around noon Thursday? Those were fighter jets taking off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport following a “Top Gun” event that was held Wednesday evening.
“Sounded like a rocket near Lake Harriet in SW Minneapolis. Had no idea the F35 put out that much noise,” a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Aviation Spotting group on Facebook wrote.
Another commented: “Was crazy loud in Highland Park!”
It was a similar story on Nextdoor, with someone in the Keewaydin neighborhood writing: “I wasn’t able to hear the meeting I’m sitting in … it was the loudest I’ve heard since I started living here in 1998.”
The jets heard blasting through the sky included the F/A-18F Super Hornet, the EA-18G Growler and the Navy’s newest fighter jet, the F-35C Lightning II. All three jets can reach speeds between 1,190 mph and 1,220 mph, otherwise known as Mach 1.8 to Mach 1.6.
“I have never seen something over my neighborhood so loud and taking off so STEEP!” another group member wrote.
The Super Hornet and Growler arrived at MSP Airport from the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California, while the Lightning II came from Edwards Air Force Base, which is located in Southern California, not far from Death Valley.
The aircraft and pilots participated in the “Top Gun: Behind the Curtain” event at MSP Airport Joint Air Reserve Station, followed by a viewing of “Top Gun: Maverick” at CMX Odyssey theaters in Burnsville.