The aircraft was on a routine training sortie.

The squadron had not flown a single training sortie before fighting began and had only two full crews ready for battle.

Another shipment of 200 tons provided 4-5 training sorties for young pilots.

Previously, training sorties were flown at nighttime under radio silence and without air traffic control contact.

The aircraft's exterior has been modified to withstand the high aerodynamic forces incurred during training sorties.

This flight was to be a training sortie for two Delta captains who were being type-rated on the 880.

The remaining elements waited out the war conducting training sorties and routine patrols.

The first training sortie took place on 19 February 1993.

The rest of the day will be spent preparing for the following day's training sorties in the station's Ops Room.

After that, no others besides the four fliers in the regular crew were allowed to fly on low-level training sorties.