A dozen F-16s with the South Dakota Air National Guard’s 114th Fighter Wing in Sioux Falls fled winter winds for two weeks of tactical flying and weapons training in Arizona. The South Dakota jets arrived at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., on Jan. 11 to participate in the annual deployment-readiness training, according to a base release. They launched their first sorties from their temporary home on Monday, Davis-Monthan spokeswoman SSgt. Angela Ruiz told the Daily Report. During the winter months, the Arizona ANG’s 162nd FW in Tucson hosts flying units from northern states in a deployed-style detachment at Davis-Monthan, taking advantage of Arizona’s weather and live-fire training space, such as the 1.7 million-acre Barry M. Goldwater Range. The South Dakota rotation runs to Jan. 25. Next month, the detachment plans to host 10 F-16s from the New Jersey ANG’s 177th FW near Atlantic City.
The crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…