WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- An unexpected visitor greeted members of the 442d Fighter Wing on the flightline June 10, 2022, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The fighter wing completed a Weapons System Evaluation Program, also known as Combat Hammer, when a local maintainer, Jeremy Solt, coordinated a time to display his remote controlled A-10 Thunderbolt II that sports the 442d Kansas City tail flash and warthog teeth with tusks.
Maintenance crew members commented on how accurate the RC plane appeared, from the lights on the landing gear to the gauges and instruments in the cockpit.
“We love showing support of the A-10 mission in RC scale size,” said Solt, a civilian maintainer with the 309th Aircraft Maintenance Group at Hill AFB. “The best part about this hobby isn’t just flying the plane, but it’s the stories that people share.”
The RC plane weighs 57 lbs., has a 99 inch wing span, and two turbine engines that run on a combination of diesel and turbine oil, kerosene and turbine oil or Jet A. Solt has completed 22 flights with the plane and takes it to air shows and RC events as far as California and Arizona.
“When people see it at air shows or events it brings back memories whether they worked on the plane, supported it or had even been saved by it,” Solt said. “The A-10 just has its own presence and definitely leaves an impression on people’s lives.”