The Vermont Air National Guard will conduct night flying on Wednesday, April 13 and Thursday, April 14 with two takeoff and landing periods scheduled between 3:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. There are no scheduled morning flights. Airmen of the 158th Fighter Wing conduct training in day and night time conditions to accomplish federal training requirements and sustain the skills necessary to accomplish the variety of missions assigned to the Air Force’s cornerstone fighter, the F-35.
“Night flying is a critical component of our training and fulfilling our comprehensive readiness requirements. We must ensure our team is ready to respond in any environment or situation, for our state and nation, and we also understand that we must balance this with the impact our training has on the community. Our ability to deploy in support of ongoing missions in Europe with NATO allies and partners is a direct result of our daily training. We are honored to answer our nation’s call to deter aggression, provide stability, and promote peace in the region,” said Col. David Shevchik, Jr., 158th Fighter Wing Commander.
The 158th Fighter Wing (158 FW) is a unit of the Vermont Air National Guard, stationed at Burlington Air National Guard Base, Burlington, Vermont. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The mission of the 158th Fighter Wing was to utilize the F-16 Fighting Falcon to provide a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations. They have since ceased the use of the F-16, and started receiving the F-35 in September 2019.
