It shows that aircraft has really been maintained with excellence.”Īir Force aircraft regularly fly with discrepancies, so a plane with zero is a rarity. The crew chief’s last name and first initial goes in that place. “A black letter is when there’s no discrepancies on the status page. Mark Lennon, a section chief with the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit. “Any time an aircraft flies,” the Air Force explains, “it could come back with any number of discrepancies, or those discrepancies which can be found when maintainers do their inspections.” “A black letter is significant because it means there are absolutely no discrepancies whatsoever on the plane,” said U.S. “Big Daddy” is special for another reason: it’s the first AC-130 to earn a black letter on its status page. The Air Park is an outdoor museum dedicated to Air Force Air Commandos and their aircraft from World War II to the present day. StephensĪnother Spooky, “Big Daddy,” is being retired to the Hurlburt Field Air Park in Florida.

Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jacob T.

Air force 14th acw/sow spooky gunship