"Warthog Day", Forth Smith, AR, 4/14/2007: Thomas Aircraft Images

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:41:57 GMT

]]>F-16C (s/n 86-0238) "Hog 02" during preflight preparations for Warthog Day.

[Photo's 1-14]
The day started with 3 F-16’s departing Fort Smith Regional to escort the first 4 A-10’s back to the base. Vipers 86-0285, callsign “Hog 01” and 86-0238, callsign “Hog 02” were the 188th’s last 2 remaining block 32 F-16s’s and were accompanied by an F-16D, 89-0167, from the 138th FW out of Tulsa Oklahoma.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:43:14 GMT

]]>F-16C (s/n 86-0238) "Hog 02" during preflight preparations for Warthog Day.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:36:49 GMT

]]>F-16C (s/n 86-0238) "Hog 02"

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:40:06 GMT

]]>F-16C (s/n 86-0238) "Hog 02"

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:41:01 GMT

]]>F-16C (s/n 86-0238) "Hog 02"

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:41:52 GMT

]]>F-16C (s/n 86-0238) "Hog 02"

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:37:59 GMT

]]>2 F-16C's from the 188 FW of the Arkansas Air National Guard are joined by a F-16D of the 138FW out of Tulsa of the Oklahoma Air National Guard.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:35:46 GMT

]]>Note the inlet vortex.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:39:10 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:42:56 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:44:03 GMT

]]>"Hog 01" (86-0285) taxi's out to runway 25 at Fort Smith Regional Airport.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:45:12 GMT

]]>F-16D 89-0167 from the 138th Fighter Wing out of Tulsa OK.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:46:21 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:47:35 GMT

]]>"Hog 01" (86-0285) flown by Lt. Col. Tom Anderson departs runway 25 at Forth Smith Regional Airport.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:40:20 GMT

]]>KC-135R (61-0267) "Husker 55" of the Nebraska Air National Guard taxi's to runway 25 for takeoff.

[Photo's 15-18] The F-16’s were joined by 2 C-130E’s from the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing out of Little Rock AFB (62-1824, 63-7847) and a KC-135R from the Nebraska Air National Guard (61-0276) providing media and refueling support during the 188th’s “intercept” of the incoming A-10’s.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:38:50 GMT

]]>"Husker 55" of the Nebraska ANG departs runyway 25 at Forth Smith in support of "Warthog Day"

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:42:04 GMT

]]>"Props 71" C-130E (62-1824) of the 189th Airlift Wing, Arkansas Air National Guard out of Little Rock Air Force Base, departing runway 25 at Fort Smith Regional Airport.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:43:09 GMT

]]>"Props 71" on the go, runway 25.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:48:36 GMT

]]>[Photo's 19-23]
Immediately following the ceremony in the hangar all the guests adjourned to the ramp to watch the 188th’s F-16’s escort the first 4 A-10’s to Ebbing National Guard base. All in attendance got to witness two formation flybys’ of the outgoing F-16’s escorting the incoming A-10’s to their new home at Fort Smith. Each of the unit’s new A-10’s then made successive low passes, two aircraft (78-0613 and 79-0129) wore their new unit markings of the 188th, one aircraft had no unit markings (78-0696) and one wore markings from it’s former unit, the 103rd FW (78-0646) of the Connecticut Air National Guard.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:49:51 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:46:01 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:47:35 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:49:17 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:51:02 GMT

]]>[Photo's 24 & 25]
Three A-10’s from the Air Combat Command’s A-10 west demo team were also on had for the event and were represented by aircraft 78-0673, 80-0206, and 79-0168. 78-0673 flew the A-10 demo after the ceremony had concluded and the 188th’s aircraft had landed.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:52:39 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:54:15 GMT

]]>"Hog 01" after the traditional last flight wash down from the airport fire trucks.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:55:14 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:56:23 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:58:01 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:44:24 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:37:10 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 02:43:26 GMT

]]>Lt. Col. Tom Anderson's last flight in a 188th FW F-16.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:09:43 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:10:45 GMT

]]>[Photo 34]
The last flight of the 188th FW in their Vipers was also commemorated by Lt. Col. Tom Anderson who flew “Hog 01” (serial 86-0285) was greeted with the traditional “hose” down by the airport fire trucks as he taxied on to the air guard ramp and a champagne shower as he climbed out of his jet.

"Warthog Day" at Ebbing Air National Guard base, Fort Smith Regional airport.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:07:25 GMT

]]>Next to “Hog 01” parked an A-10 (78-0613) in the 188th Fighter Wing’s new Warthog scheme, a fitting image of the 188th Fighter Wing’s history and future. I can’t think of a more appropriate airframe to wear the Razorback logo than the mighty Warthog.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 02:34:36 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:08:34 GMT

]]>

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:35:14 GMT

]]>Nose art of A-10 s/n 78-0613 with the 188th Fighter Wing. The Razorback logo is an awesome match to the Warthog.

andy.melody.thomas@gmail.com (Thomas Aircraft Images) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:38:11 GMT