Fargo, North Dakota.

I’ve attended the Fargo Air Shows at Hector International Airport many times. The last time I attended, the USAF Thunderbirds were the show closers. The US Navy Blue Angels and the F-22 Raptor Demo Teams performed this year. In recent years, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has been invited to a “Meet and Greet” on the day before the show to meet team members and get a close-up view of the aircraft. CAP members, cadets, and family members from around the region attended.

This year, the cadets and members also met with the A-10 Demo Team from Missouri. The A-10 Team wasn’t on the schedule for us to meet, but they finished their practice as we concluded our meeting with the Blue Angels Team. The A-10 graciously accepted our request to meet while they tended to their aircraft refueling and prep for their performance the next day.

We were especially thrilled to see one of the newest stealth aircraft in the US Air Force, the F-22 Raptor. This example of modern aerospace engineering is widely considered the most potent fighter aircraft in the world. Though we were allowed to get close to the aircraft and the maintenance crew chief answered many questions, we were required to leave our cell phones and cameras behind. Photos of the aircraft were allowed only from over 20 feet (6 m) away from the aircraft. Our group photo was choreographed to ensure our cameras didn’t violate that rule.

Commander Zimmerman is the Opposing Solo on the Blue Angels Demo Team. He is a narrator, an orientation flight lead, and the advanced liaison officer. He provided historical context on the Blue Angels, many facts about the F/A-18 jets, and answered many questions from the CAP members.

Cmdr Zimmerman has extensive experience as a fighter pilot and instructor. He has accumulated over 2,800 flight hours and 542 carrier landings. His hometown is Baltimore, Maryland.

CAP members also got to see the Blue Angels support aircraft affectionately known as “Fat Albert,” so nicknamed because its size dwarfs the fighter jets it supports. The aircraft’s mission is to bring personnel and equipment to the performances around the country.

Despite its size, Fat Albert is capable of some impressive aerial maneuvers. Though it didn’t perform in Fargo this year, it often opens the Blue Angels’ show with a thrilling demonstration of its capabilities.

CAP members walked up the ramp to examine the interior of the C-130 and hear from Flight Engineer SSgt Matthew Thompson about the roles of the US Marine Corps Blue Angels Support Team.

As a Flight Engineer, Thompson plays a crucial role in the operation of Fat Albert. His responsibilities include monitoring the aircraft’s systems, managing fuel, and assisting the pilots in flight operations. Essentially, he ensures the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft during its demanding schedule of airshows and transportation duties.

As we finished our tour of the C-130, the A-10 Thunderbolt Demo Team from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri taxied in from their practice. We were soon invited to visit with the pilots as they tended to their duties.

Don’t let Colonel Mark’s name tag fool you; that is his radio call sign. Pilots don’t get to choose their call signs; they are given their names by the other cadre members at the end of their training ceremony. More on this later.

Colonel Marks holds the record for logging over 7,000 hours in the A-10C Thunderbolt II. The Air Force Times interviewed him in 2021 about his accomplishments in flying the A-10. You can read that interview and learn more about this exciting and talented pilot here.

After a distinguished career spanning 37 years, he will be “aging out” at the mandatory retirement age and retiring from duty. He graciously answered many questions from the CAP members, and I could tell he really enjoyed the interaction with the cadets. Marks, the longest-flying A-10 pilot, selected First Lieutenant Dylan Mackey as his wingman, at the time, the youngest pilot in the 303rd Fighter Squadron.

Lieutenant Mackey provided the background on his unit and the A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstration team. He informed us that the A-10 Thunderbolt IIs will be retired over the next few years. The venerable cannon-toting aircraft has served well since its introduction in 1977. Lieutenant Mackey and Colonel Marks are members of the 303rd Fighter Squadron, based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Kansas City, Missouri.

Someone asked Lieutenant Mackey about his “Walleye” call sign and what it meant. He responded someone would have to buy him a beer to hear the story. He went on to note the ceremony where members of his training unit have the naming ceremony and that, usually, the name comes from something that isn’t very flattering to the pilot.

As we walked over to the F-22s, I noticed the engines running on Blue Angel #7 as it was being prepared to fly, probably with a local media member on board. That’s a common scenario for the two-seat version of the F/A-18 in the days before the show begins.

After our up-close look at the Raptor, I captured one more image of the sophisticated stealth fighter. That golf cart on the left marked the point from where photos could no longer be taken, and it was the receptacle for the many cell phones and cameras that the CAP members had to leave behind before we approached any closer.

I captured many more photos of the Meet-and-Greet to share with you. They are on my Flickr site here. The day after we toured the headlining military aircraft at the Meet-and-Greet, the air show opened to large crowds. I couldn’t be there on Saturday but spent Sunday afternoon at the show. Next week, I will share images captured at the show.

John Steiner