Navy fighter jets to take to skies Monday

Don't be alarmed.

Two McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets are scheduled to make low-level passes over New York Harbor and the Hudson River on Monday morning -- a familiarization flight in anticipation of a possible appearance by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in May.

The jets will depart Republic Airport in East Farmingdale between 9:30 and 11 a.m. and will likely make two passes over the Hudson River corridor at altitudes as low as 500 feet and at speeds of about 345 mph, the Navy said.

The goal is to assess a potential flight course for the Blue Angels demonstration team, which may appear and perform during Fleet Week New York 2012 from May 23 to 30.

The Navy said about 3,000 sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will descend upon New York for the 25th Fleet Week.

This year, the Navy is celebrating the bicentennial of the War of 1812. The Blue Angels would perform in conjunction with the Op Sail parade of ships, officials said.

The Blue Angels team is composed of six blue F/A-18 jets. A tentative flight schedule for 2012, listed on the Blue Angels website, has the demonstration team slated for a Hudson River flyover on May 23 -- and an appearance at the 2012 Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach State Park on May 26 and 27.

During the Monday flight, the two F/A-18 Hornets will conduct passes over the Hudson, turning south of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and north of the George Washington Bridge.