Thunderbird Jet Lands at Union Local
The long-awaited U.S. Air Force jet has arrived at Union Local High School, where it will stand as a tribute to American military service, aviation history and community spirit, reflecting the school’s official Jets mascot, according to the UL Afterburners.
The retired F-16 Thunderbird jet made its way from Interstate 70 to the Union Local campus Thursday as UL Afterburners committee members, teachers, students and citizens gathered to watch its arrival.
As the jet pulled in, onlookers cheered, took photos and celebrated the long-anticipated moment.
“It feels surreal,” Pete Busack, committee member, said. “We never expected to get a Thunderbird jet. This is a really big deal.”
The aircraft was transported by semi-truck from Bellevue, Nebraska. It was previously housed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, its final location before being decommissioned.
Prior to its journey to Ohio, Jay Prenny, Jesse Bendt and Mike Lovett of Worldwide Aircraft retrieved the jet from Texas and transported it to a warehouse in Nebraska, where a trunnion mount, a versatile, U-shaped bracket, was welded to the underside of the plane to prepare it for mounting.
The aircraft is an F-16 Fighting Falcon that was used by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team. Busack said being selected for the Thunderbirds is one of the highest honors a pilot can receive.
Busack noted the UL Afterburners chose an F-16 because the model is commonly used for display in museums and public installations. F-16s, like all aircraft, have a limited service life and are retired after reaching a certain number of flight hours.
The most recent local project to bring a jet to the Union Local campus got underway eight years ago when UL Afterburners president Dirk Davis reached out to military officials. Obtaining a jet for display has been a goal since the school’s opening in the fall of 1959.
The Union Local Afterburners committee and the Worldwide Aircraft crew stand with the retired F-16 Thunderbird jet after its arrival. Left to right: UL Afterburners Bryan Mason, Dirk Davis, Iris Russell, Bernie Thompson, Dave Green, Taylore Frasnelly, Pete Busack and Worldwide Aircraft crew Jay Penrey, Jesse Bendt and Mike Lovett. ©Barnesville Area News Company Photo.
The UL Afterburners worked with several agencies throughout the process, including the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., Naval Air Station Pensacola and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, ultimately submitting a formal request for a F-16.
The U.S. Air Force’s Melissa Shaw, static display program coordinator, and Mark J. Wertheimer, museum curator, played key roles in guiding the process, according to the group.
In August 2021, The Air Force approved Union Local’s application and officially awarded the school a retired jet last June.
Richard Pryor of Buckeye Steel in Barnesville began construction of the support pedestal in July 2024, while crane operator John Tressel of The Tressel Company positioned the structure and completed the installation later that fall.
The cost to transport the jet was approximately $55,000. The project was fully funded through donations from local businesses, alumni and individuals, which Busack described as a true “community project.”
The aircraft arrived in multiple pieces and is currently being reassembled by the Worldwide Aircraft workers. It is scheduled to be placed on its platform Saturday by Nicolozakes Trucking & Construction, Inc.
The jet will be mounted with its nose facing the interstate, giving the appearance that it is in flight.
“This is a community project based on people that love the school and have great pride in seeing the school succeed,” member Taylore Frasnelly said. “Some would say that this isn’t beneficial to education, but I would disagree. I think that this is a great display of what teamwork and commitment to a project will get you.”
The nearly 50-foot-long retired F-16 Thunderbird jet is set to be permanently displayed at Union Local Schools. ©Barnesville Area News Company Photo.
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