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F-16 repainted to show squadron’s history

Ninety years of history are on display in the paint job of a lone Texas Air National Guard F-16C.

The Falcon is blue, yellow and gray with a smattering of symbols, all representing different periods in the 90-year history of the 111th Fighter Squadron, now celebrating its anniversary as part of the 147th Fighter Wing, based at Ellington Field in Houston.

The red-white-and-blue-striped rudder recalls the JN-4 Jennys the 111th flew in the 1920s, while the wings and flaps have other pre-World War II designs. The fuselage is blue for the Korean War, in which the 111th picked up two air victories. The underside is gray, for the jet age.

The “N5 A” insignia across the F-16’s tail is the one used on the unit’s P-51 Mustangs during World War II, when the squadron claimed 44 air victories. From the Korean War are the star on the tail and the “Ace in the Hole” markings.

Lastly, the ventral fin reads, “Est. 1917.”