Why Are F-16s Flying Over Sioux Falls At Night?

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.

Before you start blaming the jets for a sleepless night, here’s the good news: they won’t be buzzing Sioux Falls until all hours. Most of these training flights wrap up around 10:00 PM, give or take a few minutes. So, while it might interrupt your backyard fire pit chat for a bit, it won’t turn into an all-night airshow.

The 114th Fighter Wing also wants to remind Sioux Falls residents how much they appreciate the community’s patience and support. After all, those brief rumbles overhead are part of what keeps these pilots ready for real-world missions.

God bless these brave men and women, and the important work they do to help keep our country free and safe!