Book excerpt: 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.