From:
www.macon.com
News - The Sun News
Friday, Jan. 09, 2009
Delays expected on Ga. 247 as F-105 fighter moved
By Becky Purser - bpurser@macon.com
Motorists can expect delays this morning at Ga. 247 as a new F-105 fighter aircraft is moved to the 116th Air Control Wing for a wash and paint.
At 9 a.m., the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base will begin towing the aircraft north down Ga. 247 from the museum’s Russell Parkway Gate, said Dennis Oliver, the museum’s chief of restoration of aircraft and maintenance.
The aircraft will travel north down Ga. 247 past Green Street where it will enter Robins through a perimeter fence near the Aero Club, he said.
The move is expected to take between 30 and 45 minutes, Oliver said.
Houston County sheriff’s Capt. Robert West said the move will slow traffic in the area. After a good pressure wash and sanding, the aircraft will be repainted with Vietnam and Southwest Asia markings, Oliver said.
The F-105 was once flown by the 116th during its long history that has ranged from flying fighters and bombers and to its current role with Joint STARS, or Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System program, he said.
The aircraft was dubbed the “Wild Weasel” from its deployment in Vietnam to seek and destroy ground-loading missiles, Oliver said. It was part of the U.S. Air Force’s Suppression of the Enemy Air Defense mission.
“Acting like a wild weasel going into a hole and pulling out a snake is how it got that,” he said.
The aircraft will be housed in Hangar 1 at the museum when it’s finished.
“We’re excited,” Oliver said. “We like telling the history. ...We’re keepers of the past.”
To contact writer Becky Purser, call 923-3109, extension 243.
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Honest Boss, I'm late cause one of them green Army jets was in my way.
Robbie
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Great line!!!
