Two F-16s Fighting Falcons to do Fourth of July flyover

By Audrey LaFave

GLADSTONE - Two F-16 Fighting Falcons are tentatively scheduled to perform a flyover during the City of Gladstone's Fourth of July Celebration this Saturday.

The two-ship F-16 flyover, tentatively scheduled for 8:10 p.m. Saturday, is being provided by the 148th Fighter Wing A.N.G. Base, according to a press release from City of Gladstone Events Coordinator Tanya Lund.

"The Duluth-based Air National Guard has deployed to Iraq three times since 2005 and was recently selected as the 2008 Raytheon Trophy winner, making them the best Air Superiority Unit in the entire Air Force," Lund said.

Lund said it is a great honor to be able to boast these double F-16 flyovers.

"This is very cool," said Lund. "It is extremely hard to get these flyovers."

Lund also wanted to send out a heart-felt thank-you to an anonymous donor who helped make the event possible, and whose only printable identification is that he is a member of the Gladstone Lions Club.

"Through hard work and diligence, the Gladstone Lions Club made this event possible, and we thank them for their efforts," Lund said.

The planes will tentatively be arriving in the area to fly over the Gladstone Independence Day Ceremony at around 8:10 p.m. Lund said their estimated time of arrival is subject to a plus or minus 10-minute window. Prior to reaching Gladstone, the F-16s will have already performed a flyover in Ishpeming for their community Independence Day celebration.

Lund sent out kudos to the city, the Lions, and the 148th Fighter Wing for agreeing to perform the flyover at the last minute, free of charge. She said the agreement was in the best interest of both parties - a win-win situation.

"The main reason they do this is for training and recruitment purposes," Lund said. "It's a wonderful tool for them to be able to do that, and it's great for our ceremony."

Following September 11, 2001, the 148th has conducted alert operations in support of Operation Nobel Eagle (One).

The 148th flew more hours in support of ONE than any air defense unit, and was the only organization to support three alert sites at one time.

The 148th deployed over 300 personnel to Balad Air Base, Iraq in both 2005 and 2007 in support of the operation in Iraq.

Lund said Air National Guard fighter aircraft from two states intercepted a suspicious aircraft as it flew in U.S. airspace this year on April 7.

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) directed the F-16Cs assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, Minn., to initially intercept the plane near Michigan's Upper Peninsula before handing off the mission to F-16s assigned to the 115th Fighter Wing of Madison, Wisconsin.

The 148th Fighter Wing was established September 17, 1948, and since that time, it's grown from 50 members to approximately 1,000.

The unit has changed aircraft several times over the years from the F-51D Mustang (a propeller-driven aircraft flown until 1954) to the F-16C+ Fighting Falcon, and finally to the super-sonic fighter aircraft, the unit received in February 2003.

In 2007, the 148th attained the highest retention rate of personnel out of 88 Air National Guard wings.

"The 148th Fighter Wing takes pride in keeping the best Airmen in the Air National Guard," said Lund.