b'The Spad XIII is the oldest aircraft to be displayed at the Luke Air Force Base Air Park. The French-built Spad XIII equipped 16 U.S. Air Service pursuit squadrons in World War I, including Lt. Frank Luke Jr.\'s 27th Aero Squadron. Lieutenant Luke, a Phoenix native, downed 18 enemy aircraft and balloons in 17 days of aerial combat in his Spad XIII. His exploits made him the first American aviator to win the Medal of Honor.(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Darlene Seltmann)Walk Through Years of HistoryBy Stephen Delgado, 56th Fighter Wing Public AffairsPublished April 18, 2011https://www.luke.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/358975/walk-through-70-years-of-history/LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. If you have ever wonderedInspections must be done in order to find any discrepancies about the different types of aircraft pilots at Luke Air Forcewith the aircraft.Base have trained in, then just take a walk through the air park."Iamresponsibleforthequarterlyinspections,which The Air Park is a walk through seven decades of Air Forceinvolvelookingforpeelingpaintanddecals,vandalism, history. There are nine types of aircraft at the park that havedry rot on the tires and checking the condition of the bird graced Luke\'s runways. They include the AT-6, F-84, F-86,proofing,"hesaid."IfIfinddiscrepancies,I\'llschedule F-100, F-104, T-33, F-4, F-15 and F-16. repairswiththe56thEquipmentMaintenanceSquadron It is an intricate process to keep the aircraft looking in tip- FabricationFlight.Theydothetouch-uppainting,replace top shape, and it involves a Team Luke effort.decals and fix any minor corrosion or structural problems. Eternal vigilance is needed to keep the Air Park fresh andOnce per year, I go out with fabrication flight personnel and invigorating, and one of the vital cogs in that process is Tech.do a paint assessment and determine which aircraft may need Sgt.WilliamMcClannan,56thMaintenanceGroupqualitya restoration project, which is a two-to-three week process inspector and historical property custodian.depending on the aircraft size and paint scheme."The aircraft located in the Air Park are on loan to Luke"We have to be prepared to respond to unforeseen damage from the Air Force National Museum," Sergeant McClannanto the aircraft, such as when a car hit the AT-6. The airplane said. "Since we have them on loan, we have to maintain thecurrently has sheet metal placed over the original fabric type of flight controls to protect it."aircraft to reflect favorably on the Air Force. If the aircraft areTheaircraftarecoatedwithaclear-polyurethanepaint not properly maintained, they could be taken from us." tohelpprotectthemandpreservetheirappearancefor 30 LUKE AIRFORCE BASE O 56th Fighter wing Telephone Directory O THE Premier Fighter Wing'