LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Virginia –
There are two ways to see the world 30,000 feet in the air in the middle of the night: black or green.
That’s how 27th and 71st Fighter Squadrons pilots saw the world Monday through Thursday and will again next week as they conduct night flying training.
“Every mission we do, we have to be able to do day or night,” said Lt. Col. Wade Tolliver, 27th FS director of operations. “We have to train to that, so we schedule night weeks throughout the year.”
Langley squadrons normally schedule one night week every two months to keep pilots current and qualified. Upcoming events at Langley prompted the flying units to schedule two weeks.
“With the runway closure coming, we won’t be able to night fly this summer,” Colonel Tolliver explained.
Flying two weeks back to back is better for the pilots, Colonel Tolliver said.
“A pilot’s body takes time to adapt to night flying,” he said. “By flying two weeks, the pilots will have time to adapt to the late schedule and significantly improve their proficiency at night operations.”
The squadrons concentrated their training on Defensive Counter Air Tactics or defending the battle space the first week, Colonel Tolliver said. The second week will consist of Offensive Counter Air Tactics, simulating Joint Direct Attack Munition drops and simulating striker escorts.
“We’re working with the 71st,” Colonel Tolliver said. “They’ll be red air for us, and we’ll be red air for them when we can.”
Capt. Eric Nyman, 71st FS B Flight commander, flew Tuesday night. While he never flew against the Raptor at night before, he said flying at night might give the Eagles an edge.
“Any time we fly at night, we fly with the lighting and beacons off,” he said. “That gives us the opportunity to use night vision goggles to see afterburners and flares. We might be able to use those to pick up a visual.”
However, he said the chances were slim.
“That’s the only way we ever see them anyway,” he added.
Colonel Tolliver said night flying only adds to the F-22A’s arsenal.
“When you add stealth characteristics to a night environment, it only adds to our capabilities,” he said.
The differences between night and day flying are as different as ... well ... night and day.
“Things are different at night,” Colonel Tolliver said. “You have to move with a little more caution in your step. We fly with night vision goggles, and they give us the ability see fairly well, but that can lead you into a false sense of security if you’re not careful.”
Captain Nyman said caution is very important.
“You have to spend a lot more time and concentration on instruments and cross checks,” he said. “It degrades your ability to use weapons systems as you would during the day.”
The F-15C and F-22A pilots use NVGs, but with several key differences. The F-22A was designed with NVG in mind, and the controls and displays are designed to be easily seen.
That doesn’t mean, however, that it is easy.
“You don’t want to get lulled into thinking that NVG shows you everything,” he said. “The best statement I’ve heard about night vision was from an NVG instructor. He said, ‘Nothing turns night into day except the sun.’”
The F-15 pilots face a different challenge. Their aircraft was not designed for night vision, so lights in the F-15 cockpit must be turned off. The smallest sliver of light can white out the goggles.
“You have to either turn off or tape over the lights you don’t need,” Captain Nyman said. “You also have limited depth perception with night vision goggles.”
While the goggles have limitations, Colonel Tolliver said they were still better off having them than not, making them a vital piece of equipment.
Care and maintenance for the NVGs falls to the squadrons’ air crew life support flights. Senior Airman Jamie Calloway, 27th FS air crew life support technician, said the NVGs are handled carefully.
“We preflight them before issue,” he said. “Then, we hand them out to the pilots. Every 180 days, we have an inspection. We break it down and purge it with nitrogen.”
Airman Calloway said it was essential to take care of them because a goggle malfunction could be detrimental to the mission.
“During a fight, the consequences could be drastic,” he said. “It could win or lose a dogfight.”
Given how many night operations the United States flies, Colonel Tolliver said it was vital to stay current in night training.
“If we get called up suddenly, there’s no time to practice,” he said. “We have to keep our skills honed. No country in the world trains as much at night as the United States, and I am pretty sure nobody flies as much or is as proficient at night as the U.S. forces.”