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The first aircraft heavier than air took to the skies in South Dakota in 1911. Since that time, pilots, mechanics, and dreamers have used aviation in innovative ways to shrink the large distances between the prairies and the mountains of the state. The start of the U.S. Space Program began at the Stratobowl in the 1930s and evolved into todays modern hot air balloons. People have used aircraft, not only for transportation, but also for controlling varmints, from grasshoppers to coyotes. Firefighters routinely use aircraft to put out forest fires, and many a tourist has seen Mount Rushmore from a helicopter. South Dakota has also served the military since World War II with the major bombers of the U.S. Air Forces arsenal. Perhaps best of all, South Dakotans enjoy flying for pure enjoyment.
The South Dakota Air National Guard's 114th Fighter Wing's history began during World War II with the 356th Fighter Group. It became a post-World War II Air Guard unit, initially flying the North American F-51D Mustang removed from storage as the active duty Air Force began transitioning to turbojet fighters. It was slowly upgraded to turbojet aircraft, first with the T-33 trainer to assist pilots into to the F-94 Starfighter. One of the most dramatic upgrades was with the F-89D Norhtrop Scorpion, which had onboard radar for all-weather interception, and the F-89J, armed with the nuclear warhead Genie rockets to shoot down Russian bombers. Its first supersonic fighter was the Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, a delta-wing fighter. The wing continued to transition through various turbojet fighters to the current General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon from 1992 to the present. The unit is fully integrated into the US Air Force's aerial defense of the United States and the Global War on Terrorism.
For those of you who are familiar with the airspace over South Dakota and its environs, the weather and colors of the landscape running from the bare prairie to the Badlands and the Black Hills can be incredibly beautiful, particularly early in the morning. The state is also home to a considerable number of retired warbirds and gate guardians. Ellsworth Air Force Base, for example, has been the home of military aviation in South Dakota since the Second World War. It is my hope that this book will show you where to find and view some of South Dakota's veteran military aircraft, and to perhaps take an interest in some of the military aviation history that can be found in this warm and friendly state that is home to the Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorials in the Black Hills, as well as the last resting place of Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood. This book is specifically intended to provide a "where are they" guide for residents and visitors to South Dakota who are interested in its rich resources of historical military aircraft, as well as contact information for the museums and airfields that display them.