One school in rural Ohio is the proud owner of its own aircraft in the shape of a retired F-16 fighter, the jet flown by the US Air Force’s Thunderbirds air demonstration squadron. Unfortunately for the students, this isn’t a supersonic replacement for the school bus. Rather, the retired Thunderbirds jet is on permanent display on a pedestal on the school premises. So, while it may not offer the world’s most exciting school run, it certainly makes an interesting centerpiece for the school.
It also represented the culmination of a long-running campaign that had been pushing for the unusual pairing of a fighter jet and high school. Beginning in 2018, the campaign to score the jet was initiated by one of the school’s alumni associations — the aptly named Union Local Afterburners Committee.
By August 2021, the campaign had progressed to the point where the USAF had agreed to the school’s request. However, it took another four years before the Air Force officially awarded the F-16 in June 2025. This was the first time that such a jet had been approved for permanent display outside of a school.
Speaking about the award on the school’s Facebook page, Pete Busack, one of the committee members, said, “This is more than just a plane — it’s a symbol of perseverance, patriotism, and pride for the students and the entire community.”
A fitting retirement
Just saying the campaign began in 2018 and ended when the Air Force agreed to donate a jet in 2021 is not doing the story justice. Indeed, it could be said that the hard work of the project began after the USAF had agreed to donate the jet. The award of the jet was the trigger for a fundraising and preparation phase that ultimately saw the plane delivered and installed on a pedestal outside Union High in April 2026.
The effort was particularly significant for a school whose sports teams are called “The Jets,” whose campus is known as “Home of the Jets”, and whose Facebook page has the motto, “Jets think. Jets care. Jets aim high.”
Given that the fighters flown by both the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds can be quickly made combat-ready, the donated fighter had to be demilitarized before being transported to the school. The jet’s journey began by being transported to Sheppard Air Force Base, where the necessary work was carried out, which included removing the engines and seats.
The school also needed to get prepared. The foundations and pedestal had to be prepared for the jet’s arrival. Work on these began in July 2024 and was completed successfully and signed off by Air Force officials later that year.
Much of the funding for the project came from alumni donations, particularly from former students who attended the school in the sixties and early seventies. By the time the jet was installed, roughly $90,000 had already been raised towards a projected final cost of around $125,000. A local business also assisted the project by donating the use of a crane and its crew to install the jet. It now proudly sits looking skywards atop an 18-foot pedestal.
