The 2022 Aviation Round Up Will Feature The Best of The Navy and Represents So Much More.
Sierra Rec Magazine – September 2022 – Howdy, Sierra Rec Family!! Summer is gone and went too fast…but there are still some opportunities to summer-like activities to take your mind off the fact that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are just around the corner and leaving full-on winter in their
wake. One of those opportunities is at the 2022 Aviation Roundup at the Minden-Tahoe airport this week.
There will be several exciting aerial events with parachute troupes and stunt pilots…but the most anticipated event always seems to be the high-speed precision and aerobatic performances of the Thunderbirds or, for 2022, the Blue Angels. The Thunderbirds are fantastic, but as a former Naval Aviator, the Blue Angels will always take the top spot for me. The motto for helicopter training was “to fly is human, to hover, divine”…that motto was obviously not coined while watching the Blue Angels (or Thunderbirds). What they do, and the speeds at which they do it, takes flying to a new level.
Q&A With the “Best of The Best” – Captain Brian Kesselring – Flight Leader Blue Angels
I had the opportunity to talk to some of the people who would be making this precision flying demonstration possible.
My initial contact was MCC Archer, part of the public relations team, who proved that even those serving in public relations for the Blue Angels are highly qualified. His 9-year career in USN public relations has allowed him to be an aircraft carrier photographer, serve in the Pentagon, and come to his current assignment with the Blue Angels. He credits his posting to
this position to his ability to be a sort of jack-of-all-trades rather than highly specialized in his skill set. As with the Blue Angels, the job description varies daily and is always in the public eye. MCC Archer escorted me to my interview with Capt. Brian Kesselring flying
Blue Angel 1. Capt. Kesselring, Squadron Commander, hails from Fargo, North Dakota, and has served for 22 years in the Navy, and in his 3 rd and final year with the Blue Angels. He was inspired to fly by the crop dusters of his hometown and by seeing the Blue Angels perform.
He is excited to be flying the Super Hornet, which the Blue Angels upgraded to in 2020, with its 33% increase in size, added redundancy in safety systems, and increased power that he says will add some twists and surprises for even veteran Blue Angels spectators. Capt. Kesselring is pleased to be able to bring to the eyes of the American public the capabilities and performance of both the aircraft and those flying and maintaining them, as these things are often hidden from view as the Navy daily performs its defense role—he refers to the thousands of military brother and sisters across the globe that make our military the finest there is. As he cycles out, Capt. Kesselring will return to the fleet as a squadron leader—a story similar for all Blue Angels personnel, where this service is a short stop in their career, after which they will return to the fleet and resume their specialty in the greater Navy.
While he says he will, of course, miss his Blue Angels family and the exceptionally strong bond that puts your life in your teammate’s hands create, he is also looking forward to returning to a posting in the fleet. Surprising to me, given the short number of flying years one has in a naval aviation career, Capt. Kesselring revealed that both he and two other current Blue Angels members had also attended Top Gun, and some former Blue Angels had even managed to return for the longer posting as Top Gun instructors, although fitting in both is challenging career-wise. He is also looking forward to the folks he still has a relationship with coming from Fallon to watch the Blue Angels and get reacquainted.
It Takes a Community
While not part of the Blue Angels, I want to give a shout-out to the folks from our very own East Fork Fire District, precisely Capt. Nelson, Fireman Jackson, and Fireman Watts, who it took a moment to speak to me about the egress and other training they had undertaken with the Blue Angels team and their presence to keep both the Blue Angels and the viewing public safe.
So here it is…one last adrenaline-pumping event to tide you over through the winter—the 2022 Aviation Roundup at the Minden-Tahoe airport. …And, of course, the obligatory shots of the Blue Angels practice session to whet you appetite’
Oct. 1 – 2 at the Minden-Tahoe Airport, Aviation Roundup Air Show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels
Aviation Roundup air show – AviationRoundup.
Captain Brian Kesselring
Captain Brian C. Kesselring is a native of Fargo, North Dakota. He graduated from Concordia College, MN,
where he earned a Bachelor of Arts undergraduate degree with majors in Physics, Mathematics, and
Business while also competing in basketball and track & field. Upon graduation, Brian attended Officer
Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida, where he earned his commission as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in
March 2001.
Brian was designated a Naval Aviator in August 2003, and received orders to the “Gladiators” of Strike
Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana, Virginia, for F/A-18C Hornet training. His first
fleet assignment was as a member of the “Gunslingers” of VFA-105, where he flew the F/A-18C and F/A-18E
and completed two combat deployments aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom. He was then selected to attend the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN), where he
remained as a staff instructor from 2008-2011.
Upon completing his tour at TOPGUN, Brian reported to the “Tophatters” of VFA-14 at NAS Lemoore,
California, where he served as the Training Officer and deployed aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) in
support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom. Following his Training Officer tour, Brian
reported to the “Tomcatters” of VFA-31 as a Department Head, where he deployed aboard the USS George
H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Inherent Resolve. During his
tour with the “Tomcatters,” he was honored to receive the “LCDR Michael Longhardt” award for superior
leadership.
Brian then received orders to Carrier Air Wing One as Assistant Operations Officer where he deployed
aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Following this tour,
Brian reported to the Naval War College earning a Master of Arts in National Security Strategy, while
participating in the Halsey Advanced Research Program.
Brian was then assigned as the Executive Officer of the “Sunliners” of VFA-81 in March 2017, subsequently
assuming Command in June 2018 and deploying aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve. While serving as Commanding Officer, the “Sunliners” were honored to receive
the Navy’s coveted “Battle Effectiveness” award.
Brian joined the Blue Angels in September 2019. He has accumulated more than 4,600 flight hours and has
812 carrier-arrested landings. His decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, six Strike/Flight Air
Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement
Medals, and various personal, unit and service awards.
