If your dog suddenly goes on high alert, your windows start to rattle, and you catch that low, unmistakable rumble rolling across the Sioux Falls sky after sunset, relax, it’s not Goose, Mav, and Ice buzzing the tower, or in this case, your garage. It’s just the 114th Fighter Wing doing its thing over the Sioux Empire.
The South Dakota Air National Guard 114th Fighter Wing, based in Sioux Falls, is conducting a series of evening training flights through Thursday, May 14. So if you’re out grabbing a late bite downtown, walking the dog, or still stuck inside one of our many construction zones, don’t be surprised if an F-16 roars overhead and steals your attention.
These nighttime exercises are nothing new. The 114th typically schedules training one week each month, and occasionally that includes flying after dark. There’s a good reason for it: according to information from the 114th Fighter Wing, about half of all combat flying happens at night. That means pilots need to stay sharp when the sun goes down, including regular use of night vision goggles that must be worn once every 180 days at a minimum for training purposes.
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The flight training exercises are necessary to ensure pilots and maintenance personnel meet proficiency requirements…