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is worth a read.
C-23 Sherpa makes final flight as Army Guard retires the venerable aircraft
ARLINGTON, Va. (1/8/2014) - The sounds of the C-23 Sherpa are now a thing of the past as the Army National Guard bids farewell to the venerable aircraft after two decades of service.
The box-shaped aircraft described by many as a "work horse" is now heading into retirement.
Throughout its operations in the Army Guard, the Sherpa has been used in response to natural disasters and war missions, said Army Maj. Matthew Moore, chief of future operations with the Operational Support Airlift Agency, adding that it was also a widely used aircraft to support parachute-drop training missions for all components of the Army and special operations organizations.
The Sherpa, a fixed wing aircraft, was introduced to the Army Guard in the early 1990s and has been flown in countless missions in both stateside and overseas operations, including the 1991 Gulf War and more recently during operations in Iraq.
Being a pilot of the Sherpa also sparked an interest in the aircraft in Shockley's son Conor.
"You see, the first time Conor was in a C-23 he was barely one year old," said Shockley.
"He was bundled up in a snow suit at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and sitting on my lap. He would reach up to the yoke and try to move it."
Throughout the years, Shockley continued spending "Sherpa time" with Conor and Erin, Shockley's wife, adding that the "toddler grew into the small boy and each visit to the Sherpa was not complete without a thousand questions that only a young boy could ask."
Sixteen years after first introducing the aircraft to his son, Shockley and his son recently had their final "Sherpa moment" together.
"As Conor sat in the cockpit one last time, he looked around with a smile on his face and I realized that the little boy had grown into a young man but the enjoyment he once had for sitting in Dad's airplane was still there," Shockley said.
