A Decommissioned F-16 Heading To An Ohio High School

Forbes

5 days ago

A USAF Thunderbird F-16 will soon be displayed outside an Ohio high school! (Photo by Ian ...)
More than 4,600 F-16 Fighting Falcons have been produced to date, and after nearly five decades in service, more than 2,000 remain in operation around the world. The F-16 is the most widely employed fixed-wing aircraft in military service, and it is also among the most commonly displayed aircraft.
Nearly 100 Fighting Falcons are now on display in various museums around the world, while dozens more serve as "gate guards" or as part of a "pylon display" at U.S. Air Force Bases (AFBs) and military installations. Now, one decommissioned F-16 could be heading not to another base or museum, but rather to an Ohio high school.
Union Local High School in Belmont County, Ohio, announced that it was gifted a retired F-16. It marks the first time a high school has received such an honor. It may be especially fitting as the school's nickname is the Jets, while being in one of the two states that claims a close connection to manned flight may have helped the school obtain the fighter.
"This jet will represent The Union Local Jets and everybody that graduated here, over 60,000 of them," Dirk Davis, president of the Afterburners Committee, the school's booster organization, told WTOV.
The jet fighter will eventually be displayed on a pedestal in front of the school, where it will be appreciated by far more than just the 450 students and staff. The campus is just a stone's throw from Interstate 70, which sees thousands of cars pass by daily.
A Thunderbird F-16 to Boot
What makes this story even more unique is that the F-16 the school is receiving is a former United States Air Force F-16 Thunderbird Jet, used by the service's elite demonstration team. However, this may be because the demonstration jets aren't configured for combat, so less conversion may have been required to transfer the aircraft to a civilian organization.
The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron has flown the F-16 since its 1983 season, when it retired the T-38 Talon following a training crash that killed four team members. It is unclear when this particular Fighting Falcon had its wings clipped.
Putting It On A Pedestal
Efforts to acquire the jet began in 2018, led by local community members who sought to display a retired military aircraft. The team reached out to the U.S. Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., Naval Air Station Pensacola, and then to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, which is located approximately 80 miles from the school.
The base is home to the National Museum of the United States Air Force, and its museum curator and the Air Force's static display program coordinator helped guide the process. Union Local High School was approved to receive a decommissioned fighter plane in August 2021, which then began a series of necessary preparations, as well as fundraising efforts. Two Ohio-based businesses, Buckeye Steel and The Tressel Company, oversaw the construction and installation of the pedestal that will eventually hold the aircraft.
Soon after that work was completed, the school was officially awarded the retired F-16.
"So that's what it is you know it's a Thunderbird, the first one that's ever been out of the military or the United States Air Force, thanks to them, and it's the first one that was given to us and not to a military base or a state museum, so we're very happy, and we hit the jackpot, we hit the lottery," Davis added.
No taxpayer dollars were involved in the purchase of the F-16; instead, the transfer was funded entirely by donations from school alumni and local businesses.
According to WTOV, the project is "expected to be completed" by next spring. Go Jets!