Jets' Sonic Boom Rattles Bay Area Published: Mar 12, 2005 TAMPA - A sonic boom from a pair of jets heading to MacDill Air Force Base rattled windows and nerves in the Bay area Friday. About 7:45 p.m., the rumble of jets breaking the sound barrier lit up law enforcement switchboards from Pasco through Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties as residents called to report tremors. There were no reports of damage. The sonic boom, caused when aircraft break the sound barrier of 750 mph, was powerful enough to register on a monitor that detects earthquake activity. The shock waves did not cause an earthquake, said Madeleine Zirbes, a U.S. Geological Survey seismologist. The pair of F-18 jets were flying from Eglin Air Force Base in Pensacola, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Neil Johnson Roger EWROPS