America’s Toughest Plane Lands In Casper Wyoming

You just never know what's going to land at the Casper Natrona County International Airport. 

This past weekend, Sunday April 29th, 2023, two A10 Warthogs showed up for some refueling of the planes, and maybe the pilots.

The airport posted these photos and videos on their Facebook page.

They also changed the cover image of that page to show the A10s, along with some other airplanes parked on the apron that morning.

The Natrona County airport is centrally located enough to be a stopping point for refueling of many different kinds of planes that are heading cross country.

It's long main runway also makes it a nice stop of pilots of bigger planes.

Here is the new cover photo for the Casper Natrona County International Airport. Facebook page.

You can see the A10s park next to each other.

The A-10 was designed to provide close air support to friendly ground troops by attacking armored vehicles, tanks, and other enemy ground forces; it is the only production-built aircraft designed solely for this role and to have served with the U.S. Air Force.

With the A10, it's massive gun was designed first, then the plane was designed around it.

It can also drop bombs and fire missiles.

The pilot sits in a cockpit surrounded by titanium to protect him from whomever might be shooting at him as he passes low overhead.

Here is one of the Warthogs coming in for a landing in Casper.

This video would have been shot by someone in the tower at the airport. It's the only building tall enough to look over these hangers.

The tallest hanger, and the end, is hanger number 5. It was built back in WWII when this airport served as the Army Air Corps training center for fighters and bombers.

Chuck Yeager trained at this airport.

Back then America only had the Army Air Corps.

The Airforce had not yet been created.

Here they are taxing up to the hangers.

Chances are they would have been taken care of by Atlantic Aviation.

Atlantic Aviation is a rather nice facility that is the main Fixed Based Operator or FBO for aviation.

That's like a service station, providing fuel, mechanics, and other things travelers might need.

Some FBO's even provide a ride into town or a courtesy car.

Not all FBOs are as nice as the one in Casper.

Here are our A10s flying away after their rest stop.

If you're looking at the A10 and thinking - WOW - UGLY AIRPLANE!

Well, yeah, it is.

That's why they call it the Warthog.

It was built to be tough because of the tough job it was designed to do.

This plane flies low and slow over the enemy and rips into them.

But being that slow means that the people on the ground can easily shoot back.

So the plane is built to take a beating.

The gun of the A10 sounds like no other gun you have ever heard.

Click hear to hear it.

It's bullets are MASSIVE and can pass through the top of any armored vehicle and right into the ground beneath.

So, if the A10 is shooting at you, hiding under something isn't going to help.

Just about every type of airplane has landed at this Wyoming airport.

Most of the pilots never get to see how excited the locals are to see they stop for even a short visit.

In the summer months many unique fire fighting airplane will come to the Casper Natrona County International Airport. as a center staging ground.