Johnston, Iowa — An F-80 fighter jet from the 1950s took to the air again Tuesday with a little help as it returned from the 185th Air Guard Refueling Wing base in Sioux City to the Iowa Goldstar Museum at Camp Dodge.
The F-80 was airlifted back by a Chinook helicopter after undergoing a complete paint restoration. Lieutenant Colonel Brandon East leads the 185th’s maintenance group, which did the work after the jet was airlifted there in September 2022.
East says the plane is painted with markings of the 174th Fighter Interceptor Squadron that used to fly out of Sioux City.
Goldstar Museum curator, Mike Vogt, says this was the first jet airplane flown by U.S. pilots.
He says the trip back went well and it’s great to see the finished product.
The plan was originally to bring the F-80 back to Camp Dodge in the fall, but weather conditions prevented that from happening. Vogt encourages everyone to visit Camp Dodge and see the plane’s new paint job.
To see the helicopter picking up the jet for its ride to Camp Dodge you can click here for a video https://www.505ccw.acc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3359432/iowa-ng-ch-47-delivers-historic-iowa-f-80-back-to-camp-dodge-via-sling-load/.
