A rather unique aircraft has landed in Cayuga County.
After years of planning, a United States Navy T-2 Buckeye trainer has been installed at Veterans Memorial Park in Aurelius. Mark Carpenter with the Veterans Memorial Park Association told Finger Lakes News Radio that the effort to bring the aircraft to Aurelius was spearheaded by Dick Gagliardi, who served in the army in the 1960s and was instrumental in developing the park in 1984.
The plane had originally been installed at the Sampson Memorial Museum at Sampson State Park in Romulus.
Carpenter added that Galgliardi, who passed away in January 2024, wanted the plane to be part of a larger collection of memorials at the park to honor those who served in all US military branches in peace and during various wars and conflicts.
Following Gagliardi’s passing, John “Duke” Metroka took up the effort to transport and install the plane at the park until his death in May 2024.
According to Carpenter, the park intends to erect a fence around the aircraft and install an accompanying plaque with details about the plane. Plans are also underway to create the memorial collection in line with Gagliardi’s original vision. Carpenter said those wishing to donate to the memorial could send checks to Veterans Memorial Park: PO Box 911, Auburn, NY 13021.
Manufactured by North American Aviation, the T-2 entered service in 1959 as a two-seat training aircraft for US Navy and Marine Corps aviators. 609 aircraft were manufactured during its run, and the craft remained in service with the US until 2008.
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