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Air Force planes fly over Rappahannock County, honoring late hero

by | Aug 2, 2024

Friends and neighbors of Grace Flores-Hughes gathered at her Castleton home to watch the flyover and celebrate her late husband's Harley A. Hughes' life.
Friends and neighbors of Grace Flores-Hughes gathered at her Castleton home to watch the flyover and celebrate her late husband's Harley A. Hughes' life.
The group raises a toast to Hughes as the planes fly overhead.
The group raises a toast to Hughes as the planes fly overhead.
Grace Flores-Hughes standing with a photo of her late husband Lt. Gen. Harley A. Hughes at her home in Castleton.
Grace Flores-Hughes standing with a photo of her late husband Lt. Gen. Harley A. Hughes at her home in Castleton.
Two Air Force fighter jets flying over Castleton Thursday afternoon.
Two Air Force fighter jets flying over Castleton Thursday afternoon.

hughes flyby

Friends and neighbors of Grace Flores-Hughes gathered at her Castleton home to watch the flyover and celebrate her late husband’s Harley A. Hughes’ life.

In a first for Rappahannock County, the United States Air Force performed a flyover over Castleton on Thursday to honor Harley A. Hughes, a late Air Force Lieutenant General, who served his country honorably for decades. 

The Air Force performs memorial flyovers as a form of “aerial salute” to honor deceased veterans that died in the line of duty, were active service members at the time of their death, or high-ranking generals and command sergeants. 

Hughes flyby

The group raises a toast to Hughes as the planes fly overhead. 

Friends and neighbors gathered in Castleton with Grace Flores-Hughes, Hughes’ wife, to watch two fighter jets fly over their farm and celebrate his life and military service. Hughes held several roles with the Air Force throughout his career, serving as a pilot during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War, clocking 225 combat missions, over 5,000 flying hours and dozens of medals and recognitions, according to the Air Force. 

Hughes died in September 2022, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The flyover was supposed to be performed at his funeral, but Flores-Hughes said due to a “mix-up” between the funeral home and the Air Force, the flight never happened. 

Hughes flyby

Grace Flores-Hughes standing with a photo of her late husband Lt. Gen. Harley A. Hughes at her home in Castleton. 

Flores-Hughes, who has advocated for the flyover for two years, said she is happy that the Air Force came through to honor Hughes in such a special way. 

hughes flyby

Two Air Force fighter jets flying over Castleton Thursday afternoon.

“For two years, I’ve been relentlessly trying to get this done,” Flores-Hughes said to the crowd. “The Air Force loved Mr. Harley…and he deserves a fly by.”

The small crowd gathered around a large photo of Hughes, who Flores-Hughes said was there in her heart, to watch the planes circle over the property twice, raising a toast to Hughes as the sonic boom echoed over the mountain. 

Background

Comment | Eulogy for a courageous Air Force fighter pilot who called Rappahannock home

In September 2022, the county lost one of its leading citizens and the country lost a heroic veteran and great American. And I lost the love of my life and best friend.

 

Author

  • Ireland Hayes

    Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner.
    Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.
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By Ireland Hayes

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Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner. Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.