173rd Fighter Wing unveils new F-15C flagship (Painted in the Color Scheme of a B-17 flown by a MOH Recipient)

173rd Fighter Wing unveils new F-15C flagship (Painted in the Color Scheme of a B-17 flown by a MOH Recipient)

By Dario Leone
Jan 10 2020
Share this article

Some of the other design aspects included using B-17 bomber black and white invasion stripes, the P-51 style star and bars and Army Air Corps Bombardier Wings.

One small, southern Oregon base finds its name in the history of World War II with the story of Lt. David R. Kingsley, who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for heroism during the war. Kingsley Field works to remind Airmen of his sacrifice and the heritage he left behind.

At the front entrance to the base sits a memorial is designed with a piece of the B-17 aircraft that crashed in Bulgaria during WWII—with Kingsley still in it. Kingsley made the ultimate sacrifice, taking off his parachute and strapping it on a wounded member of the crew when the call to bailout was made—saving their life at the cost of his own.

173rd Fighter Wing unveils new F-15C flagship (Painted in the Color Scheme of a B-17 flown by a MOH Recipient)

As told by Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson, 173rd Fighter Wing, in the article 173rd Fighter Wing dedicates new F-15 flagship, in honor of the 75th anniversary of that heroism, the 173rd Fighter Wing commissioned a special design for an F-15 aircraft with ideas from Kingsley Airmen and the local community.

“One submission we really liked was from Staff Sgt. Sabrina Kelley,” said Chief Master Sgt. Mark Draper, who organized the commemorative paint scheme. “The aircraft was painted in the color and camouflage scheme of a B-17.”

173rd Fighter Wing unveils new F-15C flagship (Painted in the Color Scheme of a B-17 flown by a MOH Recipient)

Additionally, Master Sgt. Kyle Hood’s 10-year-old son, Carson, submitted a very well-drawn pencil sketch of David R. Kingsley’s portrait behind a Crater Lake scene, which was integrated into the proposed vertical tail murals.

Some of the other design aspects included using B-17 bomber black and white invasion stripes, the P-51 style star and bars, Army Air Corps Bombardier Wings, and David Kingsley’s signature, which was replicated from a letter he wrote while serving in WWII.

“A lot of planning and work has gone into this to give us a flagship to be proud of,” said Capt. Richard Schuster, 173rd Maintenance Group. “The team originally wanted this aircraft to be done early this year, but logistical considerations and approval processes through higher headquarters delayed that until now. This really worked to our advantage, as the one-year approval would not have allowed us to share the aircraft with those visitors coming to our Sentry Eagle exercise and open house—now we can.”

Because the 173rd Fighter Wing corrosion control facility, commonly referred to as the paint barn, isn’t suitable for painting an entire aircraft it was flown to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., for painting.

F-15 Model
This model is available to order from AirModels – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS.

Some of the wing’s most experienced painters made the trip to the Southern California desert and applied all of the designs. The aircraft returned to base wearing its proud attire, Dec. 13, 2019.

After a few finishing touches the aircraft, the wing will host a dedication ceremony for the aircraft on January 10, 2020. With Kingsley’s selfless service at the forefront, the wing will also mark the beginning of the New Year with a focus on Airmen and their families.

Additionally, the aircraft will make its first major trip to Tucson, Ariz., to fly with the 162nd Fighter Wing for two weeks in January 2020.

F-15C Print
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-15C Eagle 144th Fighter Wing, 194th Fighter Squadron, CA/80-004 – California Air National Guard – Fresno ANG Base, CA – 2016

Photo credit: U.S. Air Force via Scramble Magazine


Share this article

Dario Leone

Dario Leone

Dario Leone is an aviation, defense and military writer. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviation Geek Club” one of the world’s most read military aviation blogs. His writing has appeared in The National Interest and other news media. He has reported from Europe and flown Super Puma and Cougar helicopters with the Swiss Air Force.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Share this article


Share this article
Share this article

Always up to date! News and offers delivered directly to you!

Get the best aviation news, stories and features from The Aviation Geek Club in our newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.



    Share this article
    Back to top
    My Agile Privacy
    This website uses technical and profiling cookies. Clicking on "Accept" authorises all profiling cookies. Clicking on "Refuse" or the X will refuse all profiling cookies. By clicking on "Customise" you can select which profiling cookies to activate.
    Warning: some page functionalities could not work due to your privacy choices