HillAFB uses the HMD at night.
https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/ni ... may-occur/Night training continues at Hill AFB, sonic booms may occur
by: Tracy Smith Posted: Feb 4, 2021
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (ABC4) – Night flight training will continue for Hill Air Force Base members through the first week of April.
Most of the flying is scheduled to finish between 7 and 10 p.m., but there will times where the flying ends later at night.
And even though it is unlikely, you could hear more sonic booms.
Jonathan “Rev” Hassell, Director of Operations of the 388th Operations Support Squadron and a pilot, explains, “We do try to train during the wintertime, as you know the sun sets a lot earlier then. So we are able to get our training over with between 7 and 10 p.m.”
The times can vary depending on weather, airspace availability on the Utah Test and Training Range, and other flight support elements.
The pilots of the fighter wings train at night to keep their combat readiness and all-weather capabilities.
Hassell says, “Night flying is a huge factor in what we do; it’s also much more difficult at times. if you take our regular mission set, air to air training or air to ground training, and then you make it dark, it’s much more difficult to accomplish.”
Night flying is usually limited to what is required to keep the pilots at the top of their game with the skillset.
Hassel explains they use different systems in the F-35 to accomplish the same tasks at night as you would in the daytime.
“We have a system in our helmet, a night vision camera, it actually portrays the image from the night vision camera right on the front of my visor,” he says. “I can look everywhere and see, it almost turns night into day. We also have the thermal imaging cameras located around the F-35 we are able to tie into and display that image on our helmet as well.”
Hill AFB has had all three of its fighter squadrons deployed to support the efforts in the Middle East.
Hassell says the best way to find out what is happening is to check the 3-day fighter wing schedule web page and follow Hill’s social media.
Hassel has flown both the F-22 and now the F-35 and says they are the best in the world at what they do. Both aircraft are powerful and go faster than the speed of sound, which can cause a sonic boom.
Hassell explains, “We actually fly supersonic quite a bit as part of our normal training. I know last week there was a sonic boom heard over Salt Lake City, and to be honest, that was a bit of a surprise for us as well. I’ve been flying fighters for over a decade, and I have never heard of a sonic boom being felt or heard – I think it was 50 or 60 miles away from our training area.”
He continued, “I can’t guarantee it won’t happen again, but it’s my understanding it was part of an unusual occurrence with the weather patterns that night.”
Hassell explains breaking the sound barrier is not like it was with aircraft in the past. Now, he says, “It’s as easy as pushing the throttle forward and is almost imperceptible in the cockpit.”
Utah’s Hill Air Force Base is home to the F-35 Lightning II. The 388th and 419th are the Air Force’s first combat-capable F-35A units. They serve as part of the Air Force’s Total Force Partnership.
Hassell ended by saying, “Those of us here at Hill Air Force base and living in the community, really appreciate the support of the local community, it’s been phenomenal to see. I really love living in Utah and looking out at these beautiful mountains and enjoying all of the outdoor activities as well as the great flying.”
https://www.standard.net/news/military/ ... b1327.htmlF-35 night flying continues at Hill AFB, with regular sorties scheduled through April
By MITCH SHAW Standard-Examiner Feb 4, 2021
HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Officials from Hill Air Force Base say F-35 pilots there will soon be taking to the night skies yet again, and this time it’s for an extended period of time.
Micah Garbarino, spokesperson with Hill’s 388th Fighter Wing, said base pilots are scheduled to conduct local night-flying operations on most weekdays, now through the second week of April. Garbarino said most of the flying is scheduled to be finished by 10 p.m., but there will be some instances when flying ends later than that. He also said the times could change based on things like weather, airspace availability on the Utah Test and Training Range, and other support elements.
During the flying operations, Northern Utah residents should expect increased noise.
Garbarino said Hill pilots regularly fly a limited number of night hours to meet Air Force proficiency requirements.
Jonathan Hassell, director of operations with Hill’s 388th Operations Support Squadron and an F-35 pilot, said night flying is a quintessential part of the jet’s existence. The plane’s stealth capability, which includes remaining inconspicuous under cover of darkness, has consistently been touted in Air Force circles as one of its main advantages over other fighter jets. Hassell describes the F-35 as an “all-weather fighter” and said pilots need a broad range of experience flying in various conditions.
“Night flying is a huge factor in what we do — it’s also much more difficult at times,” Hassell said. “If you take our regular mission set, whether it’s air-to-air training or air-to-ground training, and then you make it dark, it’s just much more difficult to accomplish.”
Hassell said night training is a pilot’s only opportunity to practice using certain systems of the Air Force’s “next-generation” fighter, like the jet’s night and thermal vision cameras, which essentially light up darkness and display a clear, visible portrait of the night landscape on a pilot’s helmet visor.
“It almost turns night into day,” Hassell said.
According to an Air Force fact sheet, Hill operates one of the busiest airfields in the military, with approximately 45,000 flight operations taking place there annually. Aircraft from all over the United States and internationally frequently fly into Hill’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex, which performs maintenance on dozens of aircraft. Hill’s Utah Test and Training Range in Utah’s west desert also draws aircraft from all over the world.
But the fighter wings perform the bulk of flight operations on base, training to remain combat ready with the F-35. Arrivals and departure are coordinated with the Federal Aviation Administration, Salt Lake International Airport and Ogden-Hinckley Airport. The base fact sheet says pilots limit flying over densely populated areas, schools, churches and other public buildings. F-35s climb to assigned altitudes as quickly as possible to mitigate noise.
07 Apr 2020, 22:23
