A Cold War-era fighter jet now calls a Capital Region museum home.
The F-15 from Massachusetts’ 104th Fighter Wing flew in to Schenectady County Airport Monday, where it will be displayed at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum. Speaking on the tarmac, museum trustee Dave Roe says it’s a special aircraft.
“The beauty of this thing is it's actually a MiG-killer from the Kosovo War. This has been an active-duty plane right up until today. And in fact, this is the first time that the Air Force Museum has approved the direct fly-in for a plane coming off of active duty,” Roe said.
Making it even more special is that this particular aircraft was the wing commander’s.
The nearly 40-year-aircraft stands nearly 20 feet tall, more than 60 feet from nose to tail, and wider than 40 feet from wingtip to wingtip with fuel tanks underneath.
Standing out from the greenish-gray paint under the cockpit is an American flag with the motto Force Behind The Force, as well as the flying snake insignia of the 333rd Fighter Squadron, the original designation of the 131st Fighter Squadron, part of the 104th Fighter Wing.
On the tail stabilizers are the 104th insignia, seven fighter jets flying off in arcs, as well as the Massachusetts state crest. Most importantly, though, is a green star to the front of the flag, denoting a MiG kill over Iraq in 1991.
Air Force First Lieutenant Kyle Eckert is with the 131st. He says this flight was like no other.
“Flying an Eagle is a huge honor, but to be able to fly the flagship, a MiG killer, on its last flight is something that I never even dreamed possible as a kid, but here we are. So it was a huge honor,” Eckert said.
Roe adds getting a plane isn’t a simple process.
“You got to contact, well, if it's a Navy plane, the Navy Museum; Air Force plane, the Air Force Museum, and then just jump through a lot of hoops, jump through a lot of federal government hoops,” Roe said.
Roe adds demilitarizing an aircraft is complicated.
“They have an 11-person team in here from Massachusetts. First thing is, the pilot’s going to try to burn off as much fuel as possible when it lands, they're going to have to defuel the whole plane. The ejection system has explosives on it, so they have to disarm that, and then any of the classified avionics and whatnot are going to have to be taken out of that,” Roe said.
Monday’s flyover was some of that burnoff.
Roe says he’s grateful for the donation, adding F-15s routinely sell at auction for prices in the millions.
Chief Master Sergeant Kevin Moughan is with the 109th Airlift Wing, which is based at the airport in Glenville. He says the new plane is good for the museum, which also calls the grounds home.
“The 105th [Airlift Wing, based in Newburgh], just had an air show this weekend. They had Firebirds and everything else- Thunderbirds. And we hadn't had an air show in here in years, and if the Museum does, it'd be great [to] just show off. We’re a hidden gem here in the Capital District,” Moughhan said.
The museum, which houses most of its aircraft at the General Electric Test Facility hangar, preserves and restores historic aircraft, spanning from an F-5 “Tiger II” to the experimental Rensselaer RP-1, built by RPI students in 1980.
Eckert adds being able to make the final flight was special for another reason: he grew up right down the road from Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, where the 104th — the Barnestormers — is based. He adds the entire group said goodbye to the aircraft, adding their signatures to the side of the plane.
“It’s a bittersweet day for people in the Eagle community when an Eagle gets retired. But it's nice to not go to the boneyard and you go somewhere where it's going to be memorialized and viewed all the time,” Eckert said.
The museum hopes to have the plane ready and on display by Friday.
