Pinellas Park F-16 Monument Gets Facelift Thanks To Lockheed Martin

PINELLAS PARK, FL — Thanks to a major donation from Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Co. and a weekend's worth of work by employees of the facility, the F-16 Aircraft Monument in Freedom Lake Park in Pinellas Park received a makeover in time for the city's Memorial Day observance.

Lockheed Martin's Pinellas Park manufacturing facility paid for and installed a new solarized translucent canopy for the vintage F-16 fighter jet to protect the plane from Florida's intense sun and tropical storms.

"On behalf of the mayor, city council and myself, we are truly grateful to Lockheed Martin for donating a new canopy for the F-16 aircraft monument," said Pinellas Park City Manager Bart Diebold. "This monument is truly meaningful to our community and is an everyday reminder of all the heroes who served and fought for our freedom."

The plane, known as the Fighting Falcon, is the crowning touch at Freedom Lake Park, 9990 46th St. N., developed in 1997 to honor the city's veterans and active military. The 40-acre park with a lake and nature trails includes the city's Korean War Memorial.

The decommissioned fighter jet would have likely ended up in a scrap pile if it wasn't for U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young who vowed to then-Pinellas Park Mayor Cecil Bradbury that he would obtain an F-22 for the city to put on display at the park.

Pinellas County in general and Pinellas Park in particular held a special place in Young's heart.

He grew up in a shotgun shack in a Pennsylvania coal town where his father abandoned the family and then the family's modest home was washed away in a flood when Young was 6 years old. An uncle owned a hunting camp near Pinellas Park and the family moved there to live. Young went on to attend St. Petersburg High School.

Young was pretty confident he'd make good on his promise to Bradbury. After all, both the Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin owed Young some favors.

In 1990, when Iraqi President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, Young championed a major funding increase for the Department of Defense as the country amped up its defenses in preparation for the Gulf War.

Young was also an outspoken supporter of funding the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet developed by Lockheed Martin in 1997, which played a critical role in the War on Terror a few years later.

And Young was instrumental in paving the way for the Maryland-based aeronautical manufacturer to build a 197,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Pinellas Park that same year.

Young went on to serve as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense and the subcommittee on military construction, veterans affairs and related agencies, continuing to be a staunch supporter of the military throughout his tenure while looking out for the hometown that had welcomed his family when they needed it the most.

In 2012, Young saw to it that Lockheed Martin was able to expand its Pinellas Park facility, constructing a 57,000-square-foot manufacturing annex to the existing plant in Pinellas Park to produce aircraft canopy components for the F-35 Lightning II fighter.

Then, in 2018, the Maryland-based aeronautical company announced it was adding another 65,500-square-foot manufacturing and office facility in Pinellas Park to amp up production of parts for the Air Force's growing F-35 fleet, one of the largest military aircraft programs in history, according to the DOD. The Pinellas Park facility produces the clear plastic bubble, the frame, ejection pyrotechnics and other structures that support the fighter jet.

Young didn't live to see that most recent expansion of Lockheed Martin, which brought a total of 270 new jobs to the city. He died on Oct. 18, 2013. But his legacy can't be missed by residents and visitors to Pinellas Park.

Mounted on a reinforced display stand that gives the jet the appearance of soaring into the skies, the F-16 monument is 62 feet long and has a 44-foot wingspan.

It cost about $30,000 in funds donated by Lockheed Martin for the Air Force to disassemble the plane, removing all of its electrical components and machinery, leaving the plane's shell, canopy, landing gear and seats intact for the display.

The plane was then shipped from Arizona to Pinellas Park where Lockheed Martin employees reassembled it at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport before transporting it to the Pinellas Park park and mounting it on its pedestal.

"It was installed in 1998, right before I left office," Bradbury said. "And it didn't cost the city a dime. Even the cost of digging the hole for the base was paid for with donated funds."

Nevertheless, time and the elements took their toll on the fighter jet, said current Pinellas Park Mayor Sandra Bradbury.

"The old canopy had yellowed significantly so you couldn't see inside," she said.

Once again, Lockheed Martin stepped up.

Lindsay Muth, general manager of Lockheed Martin's Pinellas Park facility, said employees removed the old canopy on Thursday and spent Friday and the weekend installing a new canopy.

That's no easy feat, she said. One thousand holes are drilled to mount the canopy. It's a job that's normally done with robots. In this case, a team of Lockheed Martin employees did it all by hand.

"Now the canopy is good for another three decades," Muth said.

She said it's a project goes hand in hand with the company's commitment to honor the members of the military who depend on the products Lockheed Martin makes and the company's mission to be a good neighbor in the communities where its employees work and play.