The HU-25 Falcon was a United States Coast Guard medium range surveillance jet. The Falcon was capable of cruising at 420 knots with a maximum operating speed of .855 Mach. In June of 1983, Air Station Traverse City received three HU-25 aircraft to support Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Ice Reconnaissance and Marine Environmental Protection missions across the Great Lakes. Of particular note, Traverse City's HU-25 aircraft supported the recovery of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, and the medical evacuation of a pregnant mother who gave birth to a child at 12,000 feet over Gaylord, Michigan.
The Northwestern Regional Airport Commission and the United States Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City partnered together to construct this tribute to the men and women whom flew and maintained the HU-25 Falcon, and all the Coast Guard air crews that supported search and rescue in the Great Lakes Region.
