“It’s a little surreal, to be honest with you. I can remember as a lieutenant growing up, flying with a lot of guys in F-4s and watching that historic change from F-4s to F-16s. And here I am, 20 years later, watching an F-16 I’ve flown be retired. I’ve gone full circle, and it’s bittersweet. But it’s an awesome opportunity to be the last commander to fly this jet.”-Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Eldredge, 309th Fighter Squadron

On 07SEP2022, the last of 27 F-16C ‘Block 25’ Falcons was flown from Luke Air Force Base, in Arizona, to The Boneyard. The retirement ceremony was held on 06SEP2022.

U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman David Busby, 07SEP2022.

The 309th Fighter Squadron (FS) ‘Wild Ducks’ had been flying Block 25 F-16C/Ds for 28 years.  The 309th FS has an interesting history, going back to World War Two, in that it has been based at various locations around the world and around the United States, and repeatedly in-activated and re-activated.  The last time it was in-activated was in 1993, after the non-official, non-declared Cold War ended, yet was re-activated the very next year, in 1994.  It also experienced a period of being officially “unmanned”, from May 2014 to July 2014.

USAF photo by Senior Airman David Busby, 07SEP2022.

Pilots, ground crew and honorary members of the 309th FS signed their names to the last Block-25 F-16C.

309th FS F-16Cs fly alongside F-35A Lightning-2s from the 63rd FS, 11NOV2017. USAF photo by Senior Airman James Hensley.

The 309th FS still uses the newer Block 42 ‘Night’ Falcons, but perhaps will eventually get the outrageously expensive, and long overdue, F-35A Lightning-2.

Airman First Class Keilani Durfey shakes the hand of the pilot who gets to take the final flight the 309th’s last F-16C, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Eldredge. USAF photo by Senior Airman David Busby, 07SEP2022.

The Boneyard is part of Davis-Monthan AFB, also in Arizona, it is considered to be the largest military aircraft graveyard in the world.

How long will those signatures last in the Arizona Sun? USAF photo by Senior Airman David Busby, 07SEP2022.

The F-16 Falcon first flew in 1974, the first F-16’A’ in 1976, the first F-16’Cs’ began with production Block 25, in 1984. The first Block 42 Night Falcons appeared in 1988, so the 309th FS is still flying a Cold War era aircraft.

An F-16C of the Wild Ducks 309th FS, 12JUL2019. USAF photo by Airman First Class Aspen Reid.

Cold War: Approximately 1947 (due to U.S. President Harry Truman’s Truman Doctrine) to 1991 (Operation Desert Storm, collapse of Soviet Union).

309th FS F-16C, 14AUG2018. USAF photo by Airman First Class Zoie Rider.

USAF video by Senior Airman BreeAnn Sachs, showing 309th FS F-16C/Ds (Block 25 & 42) operating from Holloman AFB, New Mexico, 05AUG2016:

In the Cold War 1980s the Wild Ducks were known as the 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), with a different tail code due to being based on Homestead AFB, Florida.

USAF photo by Airman First Class Nancy Smelser, 19DEC1986.

The first of the original F-16Bs to hit 1-million flight hours belonged to the 309th TFS, in 1986.

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