You might see unfamiliar fighter jets over Beaufort soon. Here’s what’s going on
The “Sound of Freedom” in the skies over Beaufort will come with a different look this month.
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is playing host to high-level pilot training during August that includes simulating air combat and a jet not often seen over the area. The Marine Division Tactics Course began in early August with classroom instruction, with the final weeks spent in the air through Aug. 25.
The training prepares pilots who lead divisions of F/A-18 fighter jets to become instructors and able to teach Marines in their squadrons the latest tactics. During the course, divisions of four jets will fly a variety of missions with an F-5 Tiger serving as an “enemy” for training.
“During this training regiment, the Marines practice air intercept control, basic fighter maneuvering and multi-plane engagement,” MCAS Beaufort said in a news release.
Marine Aircraft Group 31 based in Beaufort and Marine Aviation and Weapons Tactics Squadron One based at the Marine air base in Yuma, Arizona, are participating.
Air traffic at the base has been using a secondary runway while the a main runway is being repaired, a change that has caused residents in areas of downtown Beaufort and Lady’s Island to hear more jet noise than they might otherwise.
Work on the primary runway is expected to be finished in December, although crews are still working to make up delays because of coronavirus, a base representative told the Metropolitan Planning Commission in July.
The public body serves as a go-between for residents and the military bases.
The main runway is used 80 percent of the time for normal flight operations and needed major work, to include digging more than 2 feet in some areas, said Kimberly Fleming, director of government and external relations at MCAS Beaufort.
“It required fixing a lot of disrepair over the years, and so that takes awhile, unfortunately,” Fleming told commission members in July.
