Lower Keys hotels and restaurants are expected to benefit from this week's influx of hundreds of military aviators and support staff who are making their way here for training at various military facilities.

"By the end of the week we should have 700-plus people in town," Naval Air Station Key West spokesman Jim Brooks said.

Navy and Air National Guard squadrons from Virginia, California, Massachusetts, New Mexico and Canada typically flock here in winter, as this time of year brings clear, warm skies to the Keys and storms that batter the rest of the nation, said Capt. Steven Holmes.

"This is a busy time of year for us usually," Holmes said. "The weather this time of year at their home bases tends to be poor, but the last few weeks have been particularly poor."

A variety of aircraft are expected to fill the hangars at Boca Chica Field, including the familiar F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, its older cousin, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and Marine Corps refueling aircraft, Brooks said.

Green Berets who are training at the Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School on Fleming Key also are in town for their regular training and will be jumping from airplanes into nearshore waters this week, according to the school's commander, Maj. Peter Russo.

Navy SEAL commandos also are training in Keys waters this week, Brooks said.

Residents, especially those in the service industry, can expect to see more military men and women seeking lodging and a bite to eat, Brooks said. The Navy has room in its barracks for 700 sailors, but the barracks lack a cafeteria, which prompts sailors to head into town for meals and lodging.

"Air crews receive $44 a day for meals and incidentals," Brooks said. "Because the Navy does not have a galley, that money is spent in the community."

If the barracks are full, the Navy also provides sailors $184 a day for lodging this time of year, he added.

"It's very common for them (crews) to spill over into town," Brooks said. "We rely on the community to provide some of that."

Other than dodging foul weather, pilots flock to the Navy base primarily to take advantage of the Tactical Combat Training System (TCTS), a multimillion-dollar computer system that recreates aircraft movements and is the first such training software developed by the Department of Defense, Holmes said.

"It's more efficient and effective for these squadrons to fly here, even from California or Canada," Holmes said. "The size of our airspace, the great weather, the TCTS training system, it all equates to a busy week for us."

alinhardt@keysnews.com