Fighter jets loud, proud  Vancouver residents take booming
flights in stride as price of security  By Paris Achen,
Columbian courts reporter    On a glowing Wednesday, Clark
County residents rest on blankets and folding chairs in the cool
grass at downtown’s Esther Short Park to listen to a noon
concert by country band Flexor T.  Halfway through the show, two
sleek, black fighter jets scream across the blue sky, drowning
out part of the song “Hot Blooded,” and drawing the audience’s
eyes skyward.  Children’s fingers point, and for a few moments,
there’s a sense of collective wonder at the power shooting
through the sky.  The sound of the Oregon Air National Guard
F-15s’ combat training flights out of Portland International
Airport are a routine part of summer concerts at Esther Short
Park at noon on Wednesdays, but for downtown residents and
workers, the fighter jets are a daily slice of life. They swoop
over downtown at least twice a day on a largely predictable
schedule, drowning out concert music, silencin