Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing To Conduct Night Training Missions

Portland, Ore. – The Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing is set to conduct routine F-15 Eagle night training missions from April 4-6, 2023. The Citizen-Airmen pilots based at the Portland Air National Guard Base will undertake the essential training requirement for nighttime maneuvers to stay current with mandatory Air Force requirements.

Col. Todd Hofford, the 142nd Wing Commander, highlighted the importance of training to defend the state and nation in all types of conditions. “While there is an increase of noise and activity during the evening hours, we will do everything possible to minimize the impact on our community,” he said. “As citizens of the Portland Metro area, we value your support and patience during this nighttime phase of our training. The safety and security of our nation is our top priority.”

The training flights will be completed each evening before 10:45 p.m., and night flying is conducted to enhance pilots’ skill sets to handle different types of flying conditions.

The Portland Air National Guard Base employs around 1,400 Airmen, who provide an economic impact of nearly $130 million to the region. The 142nd Wing defends the homeland with F-15 Eagle fighter jets, guarding the Pacific Northwest skies from Northern California to the Canadian border as part of Air Combat Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The mission of the 142nd Wing is to provide unequalled, mission-ready units to sustain combat aerospace superiority and peacetime tasking any time, any place in service to our nation, state, and community.

The 142nd Wing expressed its gratitude to the community for their support and patience during the nighttime training.