Selfridge Cadet Squadron News

September 3, 2009   

(From left) Cadet Airman 1st Class Anthony Montana of the Rochester-Oakland Composite Squadron, Cadet Tech. Sgt. Marissa Moore of the Selfridge Cadet Squadron and Cadet Airman 1st Class Lindsey Fountain of the Rochester-Oakland unit discuss the Thunderbird team’s F16C with Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Lawson, maintenance crew line chief.

(Photo by 1st Lt. Lisa Fountain)  

Cadet Airman 1st Class Anthony Montana
Cadet Public Affairs Officer
1st Lt. Lisa Fountain
Assistant Public Affairs Officer
Michigan Wing

MICHIGAN – The recent Selfridge Air Show 2009 was as fantastically unforgettable as ever, with the Air Force Thunderbirds’ airborne stunts captivating rapt onlookers.For six Michigan Wing cadets, though, the experience was even more memorable — thanks to a rare opportunity to meet members of the Thunderbirds team and see their F16Cs up close. The cadets found out for themselves just how much work and effort the pilots and supporting crews into their demonstrations.
 
They also had the privilege of helping with the preflight check of two of the F-16Cs.  As one can imagine, preflight on such an aircraft is very lengthy. Steps can range from making sure the right helmet is on the right plane to looking for loose screws in the smallest corners. The line chief, rather than the pilots, conducts the checks so that the Thunderbirds can take off as soon as they are strapped in. That places a lot of responsibility on the ground team, and trust between pilot and ground team is immense.The cadets gained a new appreciation for all involved.“After the briefing with the crew on Saturday, it was reinforced that they are actually humans,” said Cadet Chief Master Sgt. Jacob Suszko of the Selfridge Cadet Squadron. “From what the public sees, these guys are a highly skilled flight demonstration team. Which they are, but there’s another side to them.  They’re gone from their families for 270-plus days for 3-4 years. This is an extremely hard job for them.

“Even thought they can go home for a day or two between trips,” Suszko said, “these days are spent painting the jets or doing something Thunderbird-related.”

After the briefing, Air Force Master Sgt. Daniel Lawson, line chief for the maintenance crew, presented each of the six cadets and the four senior members in the group with a special Thunderbird Team challenge coin.

In return, Cadet Airman 1st Class Lindsey Fountain of the Rochester-Oakland Composite Squadron gave him her challenge coin – a gesture that touched him.

“I did it because I have been taught that when you are given something, you always give something in return,” Fountain said.

Suszko added, “In the Air Force, pilots and crew members get attached to their coins because they’re personal coins and normally engraved with their names or given a number.

“When Cadet Airman 1st Class Fountain gave him her coin, he didn’t want it because it was a personal coin. Also, the fact that it was a personal coin meant something to him, as if she was giving him a part of herself.”

As for the close-up encounter with the team and their planes, Suszko speculated that “if I wasn’t in CAP, I feel I still could have met the Thunderbirds — but only for a few moments. The extent that we got to see them was above and beyond what is available to the public.”

He continued, “In CAP, you will be surrounded by extraordinary people all the time, and every now and then you get to meet people and do things that the public can’t.

“CAP will take you places you’ve never gone before. 

Local Cadets meet Aviation Pioneer Mary Feik

Three local cadets from Selfridge Cadet Squadron received awards at the Civil Air Patrol Michigan Wing Conference, held in Bay City on March 28 and 29. Cadets Zechariah V. of Romeo, David V. and Anthony C. of St. Clair Shores all received personal Mary Feik Awards from  Col. Mary Feik herself. The Feik award, one of fifteen different awards, was named in honor of Feik as she is regarded as an “Eagle” aviation pioneer in the CAP National Congress on Aviation and Space and Education. Feik, now 85, taught aircraft maintenance to crew chiefs and mechanics for the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. During WWII, Feik became a expert on many military aircraft and is credited with becoming the first woman engineer in research and development in the Air Technical Service Command’s Engineering Division at Wright Field in Dayton, Ohio.

She flew more than 6,000 hours as pilot in fighter, attack bomber, cargo and training aircraft. She qualified as a B-29 Flight Engineer and was an engineering analyst in test aircraft for flight and maintenance requirements. (She currently still owns and flies her own plane.)

She authored pilot training and maintenance manuals for many of the military aircraft. She further wrote aviation-related reports in engineering and the physical sciences for distribution throughout the Armed Forces.  In 1994, she was inducted into the Women in Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame, and also awarded the Order of Merit for outstanding leadership and support of aerospace education worldwide. Among numerous other awards, she also received the Crown Circle Award in 2001, the highest Aerospace Education Award. In 2004, she was promoted to the rank of Colonel in Civil Air Patrol
and was designated a Life Member in 2008 in Civil Air Patrol and promoted to the rank of Colonel.

A petite, gracious woman, still full of energy and purpose at the age of 85, Mary Feik encouraged all the cadets present at this conference to “Aim High and follow their dreams.” She was and still is an amazing lady.

At the 2007 Michigan Wing Conference in Lansing, Brig. Gen. Amy Courter joined with 2Lt. Mark Wolgamott, c/TSgt. Matt Moore, c/2Lt Austin Eplett, c/TSgt Dannie Fountain, LtCol. Jack Bronka and 2Lt. Lisa Fountain from the Selfridge Cadet Squadron for a group photograph.