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Fighter jets extend stay at Columbia Metropolitan Airport

Christina Lee Knauss //October 13, 2022//

Fighter jets extend stay at Columbia Metropolitan Airport

Christina Lee Knauss //October 13, 2022//

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The S.C. Air National Guard's F-16 Falcon fight jets will be at Columbia Metropolitan Airport for several more weeks. (Photo/Jeff Blake/JeffBlakePhoto.com)

The S.C. Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing will be extending flight training operations for its F-16 Falcon fight gets at Columbia Metropolitan Airport for several weeks.

The SCANG moved operations to the airport in April because of extensive runway renovations at McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Hopkins.

The fighter wing’s stay at the airport is being extended because of “unanticipated conditions” during the demolition of McEntire’s existing runway, according to a news release.

“When we started the renovations of our main runway in April, we had expected that this project would take approximately six months, and we had been aiming for an end-of-October completion date,” said Col. Quaid Quadri, 169th Fighter Wing Commander. “However, due to unforeseen circumstances during the construction process, we have had to adjust the completion timeline.”

About 200 military personnel from the SCANG have been working at CAE during the week since April, with the number growing to 300 during drill training weekend.

“We understand the challenge with large-scale projects and invite our partners with the SCANG to continue this temporary location as long as they need,” said Mike Gula, CAE executive director. “Our ultimate goal is to ensure we’re supporting our military community in every way we can. We appreciate our community’s patience and understanding during this temporary relocation and ask they continue enjoying the sounds of freedom here at CAE.”

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