Quiet Please - Monster at Work
Source: The Daily Record MILITARY aircraft have been ordered to steer clear of Loch Ness because the roar of their engines is scaring away Nessie.
Top brass flashed a message to all aircrew not to swoop low over the 24-mile long loch until next Monday.
It came after a plea from the leader of the joint Scandinavian-Scottish expedition which is trying to track down Nessie by using hi-tech military hydrophones.
The sensors, similar to those used by navies to hunt submarines, were lowered in to position 250 feet below the surface of the loch on Wednesday.
But shortly afterwards, RAF Tornado fighter bombers on low-level training screamed up the loch about 200ft above the waves.
And even at the depth they were working at, the Nessie hunters on their cruise boat the Highland Commander picked up the engine noise on their headphones and recording equipment.
After being interrupted on several occasions, expedition leader Jan Sundberg from Motala, Sweden, decided he had to take action and made a mobile phone call to the RAF at their base on the Moray Firth coast at Lossiemouth.
Mr Sundberg said: "We could clearly hear the loud whooshing of the jets as they passed and we felt that there was no way a sensitive creature would be active with that noise going on.
"I am really delighted that the RAF have been so polite about this and have told their pilots not to come near for a few days. We really appreciate it."
Gary Campbell president of the Inverness-based Loch Ness Monster Fan Club that helped organise the five-day expedition called Nessie 2000, said: "The team felt sure that if the jets could be heard at that depth Nessie would be scared away.
"The stay away order went out this morning and in fact we saw one jet skimming along the loch towards us suddenly veer away as if the pilot had just received the command."
He said that so far all the hydrophones have picked up was the sound of several eels and a catfish.
The Great Glen in which Loch Ness lies is a popular route as jet pilots train for combat flying.
They skim the ground below radar on their way to and from missions to the bombing range at Tain, Easter Ross.
RAF Lossiemouth spokesman Jim Anderson said that he was made aware of the expedition's concern, but could not contact Mr Sundberg out in the loch. He said: "Despite that, I phoned the Ministry of Defence to ask if all flights could avoid Loch Ness.
"This was agreed and instigated on Thursday morning until Monday when the expedition is over.
"A navigation warning has been issued to all RAF in the UK not to approach within one mile of the loch or come below 2000 feet when flying over it."
Mr Anderson said it was not common for RAF planes to be given this sort of stay away order.
He added: "We do it for things like the Mod in Scotland or Eisteddfod in Wales and the TV sheepdog trials show One Man and His Dog.
"But it is much better if we know about these things in advance. So, if there is an event best served by not having aircraft noise in the background, let us know in good time.
"The RAF would hate to interfere with any Nessie hunt and we wish the chaps out on the loch good luck."
The expedition has brought experts from the Scandinavian Global Underwater Search Team to the loch for the first time.
The resulting tape recordings will be analysed by the Swedish defence intelligence agency as well as the Swedish and Norwegian navies.
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