Warthog 087 returns to Hagerstown, Maryland. [Credit: Austin Colby]
Key Takeaways:
An A-10C Warthog (tail number 79-0087) made its final flight back to Hagerstown, Maryland, the site of its original manufacturing by Fairchild Republic in 1979.
After combat deployment with the Maryland Air National Guard, the aircraft was retired due to the unit's transition to a cybersecurity role and was subsequently donated to the Hagerstown Aviation Museum for permanent display.
The homecoming was an emotional event, attended by hundreds including former Fairchild Republic employees, featuring a final flight display by the pilot and a celebratory water cannon salute.
Homecomings tend to be emotional, and that certainly was the case last week at Hagerstown Regional Airport (KHGR) in Maryland when an A-10C, tail number 79-0087, made its final flight, returning to the place where it was built.
The aircraft rolled out of the Fairchild Republic factory in 1979.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
![Warthog 087 returns to Hagerstown, Maryland. [Credit: Austin Colby]](https://www.flyingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/A-10-Austin-Colby-Large.jpeg)
