Fighter training flights to continue through mid-June

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The 104th Fighter Wing, headquartered at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, Mass. has announced it will be exercising its aircrews and maintenance teams in a increased operations training exercise May 1 – June 14, between  9 a.m. and 5 p.m on weekdays.

The flights will take place over communities in Massachusetts and Southern Vermont.

The wing will be flying F-15 Eagle fighters, with 12 or fewer sorties per day. The fighters will be flying above 9,000 feet, and there won’t be low-altitude or supersonic flights. Training will include basic fighter maneuvering and air combat maneuvering. The military operating area and flight procedures used by the F-15’s have been coordinated with the FAA and only specific airspaces and altitudes approved by Air Traffic Control will be used. Flights will be carefully planned and closely controlled according to an advisory from the Air Force.

“The training is critical to assure our Airmen are prepared for both homeland defense and war time taskings,” the advisory went on to say.