Before flying a mission this past Friday, Davenport dedicated a 500-pound, laser-guided bomb to the Hays Free Press and the city of Kyle. “I dropped it on our bombing range an hour later, and it ‘shacked’ the target,” he said in an email. (Courtesy photo)
by WES FERGUSON
When he’s not practicing medicine, Dr. Louis “Andy” Davenport feels the need – the need for speed.
Davenport has an unusual side job for a physician in Kyle: He’s a fighter pilot, flying F-16 jet fighters for the Texas Air National Guard. To his surprise, he opened last week’s edition of the Hays Free Press and saw a story and photos about one of his old F-16s. The decommissioned jet is getting a paint job in a Buda shop.
“I immediately recognized it and said, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my airplane,’” Davenport said.
It wasn’t just the type of airplane he used to fly. He piloted that exact F-16, blue and yellow color scheme and all.
“I was actually the last one to fly that particular airplane on its last official mission before it was retired,” he said. “I’ve flown that plane a lot, actually.”
The F-16’s final mission came during an April 2008 event with Gov. Rick Perry.
The plane’s unique paint job commemorates the 90th anniversary of Ellington Field in Houston. Ellington’s F-16 program was canceled in a base realignment soon thereafter, and Davenport left Ellington for the Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing’s unit in San Antonio.
One of Ellington’s legacy F-16s – the one featured in the Aug. 3 edition of the Hays Free Press – was sent to Camp Mabry in Austin. The jet is being painted by Aguirrie Paint and Body in Buda, and on Sept. 10, it will debut as part of a new exhibit at Camp Mabry titled “9-11 and Beyond: The Texas National Guard in the War on Terror.”
Davenport, whose military rank is major, flies at least five missions each month. Not surprisingly, his call sign while in flight is “Doc.”
Though it might seem odd to combine medical and aeronautical pursuits, it made sense for Davenport. He specializes in internal and aerospace medicine and applied to become an astronaut.
Davenport was asked if he would try to participate in any future space expeditions as a NASA astronaut.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I was really excited about (President George W.) Bush’s mission of going back to the moon and beyond, but these missions are no longer being considered in the immediate future.”
President Barack Obama canceled the previous administration’s plans to send astronauts on moon missions by 2020. Instead, he is offering incentives for the private sector to develop the next generation of spacecraft while calling for a mission to Mars.
As for Davenport, he moved to Kyle last December with his wife Meredith, who is an OB/GYN with Hays Women’s Health.
“Meredith and I have committed ourselves to Kyle and the local community, so I don’t see us picking up and moving again,” he said.
To read the previous story, titled “Back home from Iraq: Veteran F-16 makes pitstop in Buda for paint job,” visit www.haysfreepress.com.
