Newly retired St. Joseph navy fighter pilot gives back to community

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- Looking up in the sky on Saturday, St. Joseph residents may have noticed a special piece of aircraft.

Piloting an F-18 Hornet fighter jet, Lieutenant Commander Kory Hughs, a St. Joseph native, has now retired from the Navy.

Hughs planned to do a special fly-in before the weekend, but was delayed by the government shutdown.

Now, Hughs was able to fly the F-18 one final time into Rosencrans Memorial Airport and receive a warm welcome from his family and local supporters. 

Hughs landed first on Friday and showed off the F-18 while giving a jet tour to locals with his co-pilot, Gary.

“It means a lot, right, growing up in St. Joe, Savannah, all the teachers, all that in a small town having somebody be able to fly one of these aircraft and then bring it back to a town that usually you only see up during airshows," said Hughs.

Hughs, now 41 years old, says he'll miss being able to fly his fighter jet, but is looking forward to what retirement has to offer with his family.

“It's a high-demand environment to be on all that finally not have to get stationed somewhere else. To be able to give back to my family and work with them and see the kids is really the number one goal,” he said.

Hughs' planned flight for Saturday was personal.

“We're going to do a pass over Meierhoffer, which is where a lot of my family to include my mom, my dad, my grandparents, have been buried....So we'll do a flight over that," said Hughs.

The flight also has a waypoint to visit a friend who had a heart surgery, as well as a fly-by pre-game for Hughs' Alma Mater, Missouri Western State University.