Length: 9.25"
Width: 6.25"
The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather
night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first
production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September
1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B
and D are tandem-seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases
with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.
On September 11, 2001 VFA-131 was aboard the USS John F. Kennedy just off Chesapeake
Bay when disaster struck New York’s World Trade Center twin towers. Within a few hours
VFA-131 aircraft were patrolling the skies over New York City and Washington DC. On the
ground emergency workers responded and were inside or around the burning towers when
they collapsed. Four hundred and eleven of those workers lost their lives trying to save the
occupants. This act of heroism cost the lives of 340 FDNY members along with 23 officers
from the NYPD, 37 officers from the NY Port Authority Police Department and eight EMTs
and private company paramedics. In honor of those workers that died on 911 the VFA-131
CAG F/A-18C flown by Capt. Bill Gortney received markings to honor all those emergency
responders that lost their lives trying to save others. The most memorable marking is 3
firemen raising Old Glory up a flagpole with the caption ”Still Flying Strong”.