We camped right next to this great little air park so I decided to take a quick unplanned walk around! I added in a quick slide show of some photos my dad took while stationed at Korat Air Base in Thailand with the 388th tactical fighter wing.
From their website.
From the time man first took flight in the early 1900s to the recent shuttle missions into space, South Central Kentucky has played a significant role in the history of aviation. One of the first pilots to fly in combat claimed ties to Bowling Green, as did a World War I flying ace, a pioneer instructor pilot, a Vietnam war hero, Commanders of the famed Air Force Thunderbirds and Navy Blue Angels, the Commander/Pilot of “Marine One”, the presidential helicopter unit and the Mission Commander for the space shuttle Atlantis. These aviators - and their ties to South Central Kentucky - deserve to be recognized and celebrated so that future generations might be made aware of and motivated by their extraordinary achievements. This is the mission of Aviation Heritage Park.
Phantom II is the actual plane (#550) that Brig. Gen. Dan Cherry flew in the Vietnam War when he shot down a MiG-21. Follow the amazing story of the plane’s recovery, restoration and reuniting of pilots.
McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II - SN 66-7550
McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
On April 16, 1972 General Cherry and his Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) Jeff Feinstein were flying this aircraft, F-4D #66-7550, as number three in a flight of four F-4Ds on a combat air patrol mission over North Vietnam. After an intense five minute dogfight, Cherry and Feinstein score their first kill. It was a camouflaged MiG-21 flown by Lieutenant Nguyen Hong My, who survived the crash and the war, and was later the guest of honor on April 16, 2009 when Aviation Heritage Park was formally opened to the public. This incredible story is chronicled in Cherry’s book, My Enemy - My Friend. Phantom 550 was manufactured in 1967 and completed her service in 1989 after accumulating over 6,000 flying hours. She was acquired by Aviation Heritage Park in December 2005, restored to her original colors and put on display in October 2008.
The USAF credited F-4 crews with 44 MiG kills over Southeast Asia, more than any other type of aircraft. Phantom II production ended in 1979 after more than 5,000 had been built.
The General Dynamics F-111 “Aardvark” was a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the United States Air Force. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also ordered the type and began operating F-111Cs in 1973.
USAF F-111 variants were retired in the 1990s with the F-111Fs retired in 1996 and EF-111s retired in 1998. In USAF service, the F-111 has been replaced by the F-15E Strike Eagle for medium-range precision strike missions, while the supersonic bomber role has been assumed by the B-1B Lancer. The RAAF was the last operator of the F-111, with its aircraft serving until December 2010.
T-38 901 - AN AIRCRAFT OF DISTINCTION
The history of this aircraft is the history of the American manned space flight program. In April of 1959, NASA announced the selection of seven men to compose the first class of American Astronauts. Our first astronauts were Navy Lieutenant M. Scott Carpenter, Air Force Captains L. Gordon Cooper, Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom and Donald K. “Deke” Slayton, Marine Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr., and Lieutenant Commanders Walter M. Schirra, Jr. and Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Every one of these men flew 901.
These were the astronauts who flew the 6 Mercury missions through 1963. The Gemini program consisted of 10 Earth Orbiter missions from 1965 through 1966, involving 16 different astronauts and all of them have flown 901.
The Apollo Program involved 9 lunar orbiting and landing missions and 6 of those missions resulted in a landing on the moon. The Prime Crew members on each of the 9 missions were a Commander, a Command Module Pilot and a Lunar Module Pilot. There were 24 different astronauts composing the Prime Crews for the 9 missions and all of them flew #901. There were 12 persons who walked on the moon during the 6 lunar landings and all of them flew 901.
River Rats Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association
Chicago the band - movin in
Udorn Air Base
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