The thunderous roar of seemingly low-flying aircraft on Thursday night startled Bellefonte area residents, many of whom went outside or took to social media to ask their neighbors what was happening.
As it turned out, the booming sound came from three F/A-18 fighter jets en route to State College Regional Airport ahead of a planned flyover at the Penn State-Ohio State game on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Centre County 911 posted on Facebook at 11:35 p.m. on Thursday that it had confirmed the aircraft were fighter jets in town for the flyover. Airport Director Bryan Rodgers also confirmed on Friday morning that was the case.
Bellefonte residents began hearing the jets around 10:40 p.m. Thursday. On social media and in person, some reported they felt their houses and cars shake. Others said they worried at first that a plane was about to crash or a tornado was bearing down.
The booming howl of the jets lasted for nearly 10 minutes as they seemed to approached the airport from north to south.
They could be heard again during the day on Friday over State College.
The flyover will be another part of the spectacle surrounding No. 3 Penn State’s matchup with No. 4 Ohio State on Saturday. Both ESPN and FOX will air their morning pregame shows from outside the Bryce Jordan Center, with the former’s College GameDay featuring an appearance by actor and Penn State alum Keegan-Michael Key. Former Philadelphia Eagle Jason Kelce will also be among those in attendance at the game, which kicks off at noon on FOX.
