Hill Air Force Base Night Training - SLC Utah
What's going on with the HAFB jets flying at night? And over SLC?
(KUTV) — Many along the Wasatch Front are hearing the jets of Hill Air Force Base that don’t usually hear them and at night.
Captain Tyler McBride is with the 4th Fighter Squadron and said residents can expect to hear night-flights through early April.
“It’s important for us to maintain our night proficiency," McBride said.
He said it’s something important for their skills.
“A good chunk of our combat missions are at night and this is where we train, so we have to make sure that we are ready rock n’ roll 24/7,” he said.
He said that's not anything really different, they night train often. But there is something different about it this time, their flight pattern.
“Unfortunately with the runway construction we have to come and land the opposite direction which means we have to fly over the Greater Salt Lake,” he said.
A major construction project on the runway means residents who don’t normally hear the jets will. Residents as far away as Bountiful and Salt Lake City might be able to hear the jets during the first phase. Phase one will likely go through spring and early summer. Phase two and three, the runway will be closed entirely.
“We are in the first phase which is driving us for the night approach from south to north,” Capt. McBride said.
For nearby resident Lauren Willis she said she’s noticed the extra jets.
“It’s not a super bother to me," Willis said. “They are flying all day long, they are doing a lot of training it seems like.”
But the benefits of noise, she said is worth it.
McBride said most community members have been excited to hear the jets.
“Who doesn’t love the sound of freedom?”
But for those night flights they will try to be done before 10 p.m.
“We want to be good stewards of the community and try not to wake everyone up,” he said.
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