Originally Posted by
Hetman
When you say the magic words: "National Security," a lot of laws become more like guidelines rather than actual rules.
It's legal because the military is not bound by the FAR's. They generally abide by them where practical (and have MOU with the FAA), but not to the detriment of mission/training. Of course the services each have their own set of detailed flight rules, so those guys were not just winging it.
I would not expect a mil aircraft to fly around a place like the bay area dark on a VR route, but in the pattern is not unreasonable, especially if there's an active tower.