HONOLULU — Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor will dedicate its Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter on Monday, Nov. 12. The 4 p.m. dedication ceremony will take place at the Museum on Historic Ford Island.
The Northrop F-5A was a lightweight, low maintenance, single-seat fighter designed and built by Northrop in the 1950s, according to museum officials.. Although it never became a fighter aircraft for the U.S., Northrop exported hundreds of F-5As around the world during the 1960s and 1970s to U.S. allies.
The museum’s F-5A Freedom Fighter was donated by Chuck Thornton, president of Thornton Aircraft Co. It joins the museum’s collection of more than 35 historic aircraft. Shipping was provided by Matson. The dedication ceremony is sponsored by Northrop Grumann.
The pilot name on the fuselage of the aircraft will be General Kim Doo Man and the museum selected the markings for this aircraft to be that of the United States ally, the Republic of Korea Air Force.
Attendees of the ceremony will include Korean War veterans, business and civic leaders, U.S. military leaders, as well as Republic of Korea Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Lt. General Cha Kyu Choi and his wife.
Pacific Aviation Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Its mission is to develop and maintain an internationally recognized aviation museum on historic Ford Island that educates young and old alike, honors aviators and their support personnel who defended freedom in The Pacific Region, and preserves Pacific aviation history.
