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For more than 20 years, two static airplane displays have stood on either side of Highway 45.

The first plane by the intersection of Highways 45 and 82 welcomes visitors to the city. The second marks the East Gate Road near the sign for the Columbus Air Force Base’s entrance.

But what is the history of the planes? Who is responsible for maintaining them? How are they maintained? And when are they due for their next cleaning? 

When were the planes installed?

In June 2003, a decommissioned T-37 trainer jet from the Columbus Air Force Base rolled down Highway 45 to be mounted on its pedestal near the Highway 82 overpass. 

The project was intended to continue to build relations between the base community and the city, then-Mayor Jeffrey Rupp told The Dispatch in a story published June 20 that year. The project took months, with all of the supplies donated by local supporters. 

After the first jet went up, the county was able to get a second display installed much faster. The county held a dedication for the display, at the entrance to East Gate Road on March 22, 2004, a report in The Dispatch from that day said. 

Sonic Johnson, who was head of public affairs for the base for 15 years including when the second display was installed, said the T-37 by the entrance was once the 14th Flying Training Wing’s flagship, as former Wing Commander Maj. Gen. Marne Peterson flew the plane during her tenure between 1998 and 2000. 

The former flagship now welcomes those entering the base, he said. 

“The way the airplane is tilted is kind of like a welcoming hand, saying ‘hi, welcome,’” Johnson said. 

Who is responsible for the planes’ maintenance? 

Even though the aircraft displayed in the city and county came from the Columbus Air Force Base, both aircraft are technically on loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. 

The one near the Highway 82 overpass is on loan to the city, while the other is on loan to the county, according to museum records. 

The National Museum’s Community Static Display Program requires each borrower to be responsible for performing routine maintenance – like annual upkeep, periodic painting, day-to-day care and repair of damage – and providing an acceptable appearance to not reflect negatively on the museum or the Air Force. 

Failure to maintain standards can result in the repossession of loaned property by the museum, according to information available on the museum’s website.  

How are the static displays maintained?

Initially, Johnson said, groups of volunteers would get together to clean the static displays. But he called cleaning the planes a “heavy lift” for volunteer groups, since the job requires water tanks, electrical checks and significant manpower to complete.

Eventually, Johnson said, the landscaping around the trainee jet was folded into the city’s normal landscaping route. City Chief Operating Officer  Jammie Garrett told The Dispatch Friday that the area around that trainer jet is cared for by members of the public works department.

But as for cleaning the plane itself, she said, Columbus-Lowndes Airport Fixed Base Operator Dan Duston helps alert the city when maintenance is needed. 

Duston told The Dispatch Friday that he cleaned the trainer jet as a volunteer in 2021, after noticing that there was some build-up on the plane.

“There were some of us that noticed it was getting pretty green out there. There was a lot of algae and mildew,” Duston said. “And it was just one of those things where we decided to get together and do it.”

The volunteers brought out ladders, long brushes and a water tank to get the job done, Duston said. 

Duston intended to make this volunteer cleaning an annual event, he said, but he has not been able to make it back out to clean the plane since then. 

Still, Duston said the plane is probably due for another wash this fall, as he hopes to get it looking its best before the Thunder Over Columbus air show in September. 

Similarly, Johnson said the flagship by the base entrance used to be cleaned by volunteer groups, while he personally cared for the landscaping for years. But after he retired a few years ago, Johnson said the county took over maintenance around the former flagship. 

County administrator Jay Fisher told The Dispatch the county regularly takes care of the flagship and the surrounding landscape, though the grounds get more frequent maintenance than the static display. 

Fisher said the last time the county washed the plane and filed paperwork on the maintenance was in January 2022.

Lowndes County Supervisors Board President Trip Hairston said last time it was cleaned, Fisher personally went up in a bucket truck and cleaned the plane on the county’s behalf. 

But in the future, Fisher said, it may make more sense to hire a contractor to clean the plane.

While the county does not currently have any maintenance scheduled for the flagship, Fisher said the plane’s condition is monitored and would be cleaned as soon as possible if it were requested by CAFB.