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By Rob Ollikainen
Peninsula Daily News

PORT ANGELES -- Port Angeles will get a flyby from military aircraft Thursday as part of a two-day regional training exercise in anticipation of the 2010 Olympic Games.

A twin-engine aircraft that unintentionally strays into restricted airspace will be intercepted by a Canadian fighter jet and escorted to William R. Fairchild International Airport, according to the plan.

The twin-engine plane is expected to land between 7:15 a.m. and 8 a.m., airport director Jeff Robb said.

The Canadian version of the F-18 Hornet will be flying at least 1,000 feet overhead.

The purpose of the exercise is to coordinate U.S. and Canadian military efforts to prepare for the Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, and to hone NORAD's interception and identification operations.

Army National Guard C-23 Sherpas, Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets and U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles are taking part in planned exercises from Moses Lake to Aberdeen.

Western Air Defense Sector McChord Air Force Base scrambled Air Force fighter jets from the 142nd Fighter Wing at Portland Air National Guard Base on Wednesday to intercept C-23 Sherpas.

An anticipated landing at Port Angeles on Wednesday was scratched because the exercise was delayed.

"They started the exercise, and they stopped the exercise," Robb said.

Robb said he had no further information on the exercise.

People living along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and in the Puget Sound region may see Canadian military aircraft flying in U.S. airspace Thursday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.