South Carolina Air National Guard to hold nighttime training in Lexington County

LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - The South Carolina Air National Guard (SCANG) is advising residents in Lexington County about an upcoming training exercise.

The 169th Fighter Wing is scheduled to hold nighttime training flights from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. The flights are planned from July 18 to July 21.

Residents and businesses near the airport may hear and see F-16 fighter jets taking off and landing after normal business hours until around 12:00 a.m.

SCANG said normal training flights are conducted during daylight. Pilots and maintenance personnel are required to conduct periodic nighttime drills. Aircraft in the upcoming drill will follow assigned flight paths to try and minimize noise.

Col. Quaid Quadri, commander of the 169th Fighter Wing at McEntire Joint National Guard Base said, “We have taken every possible measure in our flight profiles to minimize noise generated from our training operations.”

The base temporarily closed the main runway for construction on May 2, 2022. While this is underway the 169th Fighter Wing is conducting their training exercises through the airport. The renovations are expected to complete around Oct. 31, 2022.

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