By TO Acorn Staff | on August 19, 2022

TOP GUN—An F-18 assigned to the “Vampires” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine departs Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu during a large-scale exercise in 2021. The base issued an advisory last week notifying residents to expect increased flight activity from Aug. 22 to Sept. 2. Courtesy of Ensign Drew Verbis

Break out the binoculars and zoom lenses—rare and expensive aircraft will be soaring over the skies of Ventura County in the coming days as the Navy conducts a large-scale testing exercise along the coast.

An Aug. 11 advisory issued by Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu says around 50 aircraft will be flying in to take part in training for pilots and aircrews between Aug. 22 and Sept. 2. The Point Mugu Sea Range has long served as a venue for the military to evaluate combat operations in a real-world setting.

“Communities in the Camarillo and Oxnard area may experience increased jet activity and noise during this time,” the advisory says.

Most of the flights are expected to take place next week, and no night operations are scheduled, the Navy said.

Despite the prevalence of military aircraft in the area, noise from fighter jets has occasionally caught members of the public off guard. In 2015, an F-35 in town to test its landing navigation roared above homes at 7 a.m., rattling windows and awaking some residents.

In addition to what the Navy has in store, this weekend is the annual Wings Over Camarillo air show (see related story here).

Now in its 41st year, the show will feature aerial acrobatics, military aircraft past and present and a re-creation of World War II air combat with fiery pyrotechnics and controlled explosions.

Although the show officially takes place at the Camarillo Airport, flight paths will take many of the planes over western Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park.

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