The Civil Air Patrol and the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard will practice their air defense skills in a joint exercise Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019, in the skies over Columbia, South Carolina.
Tuesday’s practice demonstration marks the 18th year Civil Air Patrol has been a participant in the North American Aerospace Defense Command exercises designed to protect the airspace over the Super Bowl, which will be held in Atlanta on Feb. 3.
The demonstration, involving F-16s from the 169th Fighter Wing intercepting a CAP Cessna 182, is just the most recent practice between these partner agencies, according to CAP officials.
The demonstration will be hosted by the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing, located at McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Eastover, South Carolina.
The CAP Cessna 182 — playing the part of a wayward airplane — is part of the South Carolina Wing’s 10-plane fleet, which regularly practices in simulation of an aircraft entering a no-fly zone.
Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the FAA routinely implements Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) around major events to ensure no general aviation airplanes enter within a specified radius. During Super Bowl LIII, NORAD aircraft will enforce the actual TFR.