What's causing sonic booms at night? Ohio Air National Guard 180th Fighter Wing training

CHILLICOTHE — Today is the last day this month for 180th Fighter Wing night flying in southern Ohio, said Senior Master Sgt. Elizabeth Holliker.

The Ohio Air National Guard planned to practice night flying in southern Ohio Monday through Thursday this week. Many residents claimed to have heard a sonic boom caused by the 180th Fighter Wing, but residents shouldn't anticipate another.

"We are authorized to break the sound barrier down there when training requires, but we really try not to," Holliker said. "The hilly environment down there, the sound carries already and bounces around in the valley. So even if we're not breaking the sound barrier, it can sometimes sound like we are."

Why have the flights over southern Ohio been so noisy this week?

Holliker said that the environment can also affect how the sound carries. The air is thinner in the winter which allows sound to travel further and faster. Cloud cover helps to hold the sound down low to the ground, creating, "some booms and some rumbles."

The Ohio Air National Guard typically flies to southern Ohio during fair weather months, at least one week out of the month to maintain pilot currencies. These flights are usually scheduled months in advance, but, "something had changed, probably a pilot currency required night flying," Holliker said.

Flights taking place in southern Ohio, also known as the Buckeye military operating airspace, are generally for practicing air-to-air maneuvers. They also fly to a bombing range in Michigan for practice.

The Ohio Air National Guard flies at night to practice skills like using night vision goggles and aerial refueling in the dark.

"When we're over in a situation like Afghanistan or Iraq, operations don't just happen during the day during daylight hours," Holliker said. "We try to minimize the impact to the communities and only [practice at night] little bits at a time whereas we fly every day during the day."

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. She can be reached at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Sonic booms caused by Ohio Air National Guard night training flights