‘It scared the heck out of me’: CF-18 flyby spooks Montrealers – CBC.ca – CBC.ca

If you were terrified by the sound of a jetroaring over Montreal last night, you weren't alone.

City police reported getting calls to 911 from confused residents wondering what was going on when an ear-splitting noise pierced the air around 7:30 p.m. ET.

It was coming from a CF-18jet, painted in honour of Canada's 150thanniversary, that was conductinga flyby over Percival MolsonStadium before opening kickoff at the Alouettes' CFL home opener(a game theywon in dramatic fashion, by one point over the Saskatchewan Roughriders).

Will Peters, one of the residents who called police, lives on Hutchison Street, not far from the stadium.

"It scared the heck out of me," he said.

Peters's wife and two young children were on their way homeduring the flyby. He said the noise caused her to let go of thestroller with the 22-month-old inside, so she could move over andprotect thethree-year-old. The stroller rolled away and hit a Bixi stand, then toppled over.

Everyone is fine, Peterssaid, save for a few tears shed in the aftermath. But Peters plans to callthe city and possibly contact the Alouettes to put an end to these kinds of events.

"It shouldn't be happening, not with people in town with PTSD, refugees coming from war zones, it could trigger all sorts of trauma," he said.

Capt. Jeff Noel with theRoyal Canadian Air Force said flybys are done in support of special events at hundreds of locations around the country every year.

"They're carefully planned, and we closely control to ensure that public safety is maintained at all times."

Alouettesspokesperson Charles Rooke sent CBC News a statement saying the team is "sorry if some people were surprised by the flyover of theCF18prior to last night's home opener."

He saidthe team and theRoyal Canadian Air Force sent media advisories and social media posts "well in advance."

Rooke explained the team is named after the425 Tactical Fighter Squadronbased at CFB Bagotville in the Saguenay. The first French Canadian squadron earned the nickname "Alouette" following its participation in the Second World War, he said.

"Since 2014, as a part of that special relationship, a CF18 has made a flyover for one Alouettes home game every season, and all these same precautions and steps are followed every time," Rookeadded.

The demonstration team posted a statement about the flyby to itsFacebookpage Wednesday and sent out a news release that dayand again Thursday morning to warn people about the event.

"We always send out public notices before flybys," saidJessica Lamirande, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

But it doesn't appear everyone got the message, as evidenced bythese tweets.

That's just a sampling there were plenty of tweets that employed choice words we can't repeat here.

CBC also received a flood of text messages on the issue. Some reflected a sense of pride in the jets, while others said it was disrespectful to fly them so low over a densely populated urban area.

"I think it is thrilling to have themcome over the city,"IjazShaeib from Notre-Dame-de-Grce texted."Idon't think we should let the fear of a sound guide us as to whether we should have flyovers."

But JudythMermelsteinin Verdun said Canada is host to many from here and elsewhere for whom military aircraft "can be terrifying."

"We don't see press releases or paint jobs: we hear the roar and worry or panic. Meanwhile, what's the point but a 'wow' moment for Als fans?"Mermelstein texted.

The comments on our Facebook pagewere peppered, at times, with people expressing excitement, but others talked about how the noise had scared them.

Nadine Michelle was of the former, typing,"I looked up into the sky to salute our courageous Canadian military heroes who protect our beloved country."

This isn't the first time people have been startled by a flyby.

In May, an event featuring the the Snowbirds and their French counterparts, la Patrouille de France, elicitedpanicked calls to our newsroom.

Last year,in the lead up to Toronto's Canadian International Air Show, a local filmmaker who spent time in Sri Lanka during the civil warsaid it may be time to start a dialogue about whether air shows are still necessary.

And this story from 2014, aboutCF-18s flying over an Alouettes game, basically could have been written today.

According to the statement, the Canada 150 jet flewover the stadium at an altitude no lower than 152 metres above the highest point of their route, meaning anyone in the downtown area of Montreal at that time got a good look at the planes.

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'It scared the heck out of me': CF-18 flyby spooks Montrealers - CBC.ca - CBC.ca