Say What ? High School To Receive Retired Air Force Jet

It’s a fitting symbol for the school’s mascot: quite literally, the “Home of the Jets.”

A high school in Ohio is making history as the first school in the nation to receive a decommissioned Air Force Thunderbird Jet. The Union Local Afterburners petitioned to obtain the jet, and it received Air Force approval in 2021.

Military officers seen at the crash site, after a jet... — Source: SOPA Images / Getty

The retired F-16 will now be transported to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, where its engine and seats will be removed in preparation for long-term display at Union Local High School. The aircraft is expected to arrive and be installed on campus in the spring of 2026.

he Union Local Afterburners, the local committee which petitioned to obtain the jet, said they worked to bring the aircraft to Union Local High School in Belmont as a reminder of “American military service, aviation history, and community spirit,” according to a press release issued by the school district.

It’s also a fitting symbol for the school’s mascot: Union Local High School is, quite literally, the “Home of the Jets.”

The committee said it had been trying to get the jet since 2018, when they had initially submitted their request. The Air Force approved the request in 2021, “setting the stage for years of preparation and fundraising,” according to the release. The retired F-16 will now be transported to Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, where its engine and seats will be removed in preparation for safe, long-term display at the school. Construction of an 18-foot pedestal to support the jet has already been completed.