November 23, 2008: Earlier this year, a U.S. F-16 of the Vermont Air National Guard (VANG) set a record on March 24th, when it became the first F-16C to spend 7,000 hours in the air. Now that aircraft, with over 7,200 hours in the air, is being retired. Not to the scrap heap, but as an exhibition at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC. This F-16 will probably hold the record, for hours in the air for an F-16, forever. That’s because the U.S. Air Force is retiring its older aircraft, to save billions in maintenance costs. Smart bombs mean fewer aircraft are needed to provide ground support for the troops. And new F-22 and F-35s are arriving to take care of air combat, and ground support.
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