POPE AIR FORCE BASE -- The last three A-10 fighter jets took off from Pope Air Force Base on Wednesday. The single-seat aircrafts spent 15 years at the base and are relocating to Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Ga.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions mandated that the base be transferred to the Army by 2011. The last flight of the A-10s was an emotional one.

"It's bittersweet,” said Lt. Col. Russell Myers, the commander of the 74th Fighter Squadron who was taking his last flight on Wednesday. “We say goodbye to Pope and a lot of history, a lot of deployments, a lot of hard work."

Since arriving at Pope Air Force Base in 1992, the A-10s have flown throughout the world and have supported missions in Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. They were built to support ground forces by attacking armored vehicles. The aircraft carries the largest gun for a fighter jet, according to Staff Sgt. Derrick Dodd, the crew chief for the 74th Fighter Squadron.

“It kind of sets it apart,” Dodd said.

Master Sgt. Bobby Starr with the 23d Wing “Flying Tigers” said the local community really accepted the aircraft.

“Especially the Army folks,” he said. “They really love the A-10, probably as much as we love it."

Despite trading Carolina blue skies for Georgia peach ones, the mission will remain the same for the airmen.

"It's not really much of a change other than just location,” Dodd added. “I'll still be doing the same thing when I get there, same aircraft. Nothing's going to change for me."