A Vietnam-era military jet flew over Sioux City for the first time in years Wednesday with the help of two Iowa National Guard Chinook helicopters.
The A-7 jet was moved from the old Martin’s Airfield to the 185th Air National Guard base, where it will be restored and then be on permanent display at the Siouxland Freedom Park. Freedom Park board member Marty Hogan says they are excited to see the project happen. “We’ve been working on it for like three or four years, just talking about it, and we’re going to put it right where the horseshoe driveway is in the front of the interpreter center,” he says. “There’s already pads poured over there as soon as they’re done with all the maintenance and making it look pretty, they’ll bring it right back over here.”
He says they had to get ownership of the jet and then figure out how to get it moved and refurbished. “Went through all the paperwork to transfer it over to the base. That allows us to work with the army again, you know, joint exercises, it’s very difficult. You know, this is coordinating with JFHQ, the Army unit, the air unit, maintenance, a little bit of everybody.”
Two Army National Guard Chinooks from Boone carried the plane from the airfield where it had been for the last 22 years to the 185th Airbase. This A-7 was used for training pilots at the 185th and was never flown in combat. The repainting is expected to take two or three months to complete.
(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)