Military.com 9 Apr 2018 By Oriana Pawlyk
The Air Force Thunderbirds have cancelled their next two airshows following the death of fellow pilot Maj Stephen "Cajun" Del Bagno, the team's commander said Monday.
The Thunderbirds will not perform at the Lakeland, Florida "Sun-N-Fun Fly-In & Expo" or the "Wings over Columbus" show at Columbus Air Force Base , Mississippi, according to a video statement from Lt. Col. Kevin Walsh, the Thunderbirds' commander.
Walsh said more shows for the 2018 season could also be cancelled, but said the squadron is prioritizing Del Bagno's legacy and family.
"We remember 'Cajun' as an airman, warrior, a talented fighter pilot and a great friend," Walsh said in the video.
The Thunderbirds, part of the 57th Wing, Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada, will host Del Bagno's family for a memorial service sometime this week, Walsh said, but did not provide specifications.
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Del Bagno was participating in a routine training flight at the Nevada Test and Training Range April 4 when the crash occurred at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time, the Thunderbirds said in a release .
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Del Bagno was the slot pilot flying the No. 4 jet for the Thunderbirds, according to the team's website . Before joining the team, Del Bagno was an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter evaluator pilot and chief of standardization and evaluation with the 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base , Florida.
The Valencia, California, native had more than 3,500 flying hours in over 30 different aircraft, with 1,400 hours as an Air Force pilot, his official biography said.
He was in his first season with the demonstration team.
Tributes and condolences came pouring in after the accident occurred, including from actress Brie Larson, with whom Del Bagno worked in preparation for Larson’s role as the Air Force-pilot-turned-superhero Captain Marvel. Larson, alongside Marvel Studios, tweeted out their condolences over the weekend.
As the Thunderbirds move forward, the health and safety of the team is also one of Walsh's concerns, he said.
"We're taking care of our squadron. We're holding each other up, but recognize we can't always do it alone," he said, adding additional teams and agencies are working with them for support and recovery.
"When the time is right, we will get back to executing our mission to recruit, retain and aspire," he said.
Walsh thanked fans, airmen and service members from around the world who have offered support for the team as they recover and work to honor Del Bagno's legacy.
"We are deeply moved by your compassion, and we ask that you continue to keep 'Cajun' and his family in your thoughts," Walsh said.
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com . Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214 .
Not good times for my boys in blue. Seems as if they've had some bad luck. RIP to Maj Del Bagno. Being a fighter pilot is a dangerous job, even during training.
I was just about to turn 16 when I saw the Thunderbirds at Ft Custer Air National Guard Base in Battle Creek. I was, like a lot of people who see them, awe struck. I admit they were a big part of why I decided of joining the Air Force, but then again that's part of their job. They were flying F4 Phantoms then which were incredible aircraft to watch fly. Then about 17 years ago I was working a hotel computer installation job up near Sacramento and my work partner wanted to go to an air museum about an hour away and I figured why not. While we were looking at the various aircraft on display outside I actually found one of the F4 Phantoms that had been used by the Thunderbirds at the time I had seen them when I was 15. According to the placard of the time it was performing it was one of the very same aircraft! It was a very bizarre feeling to see an aircraft that I had seen perform so many years before now on display in a museum and to run across it. It made me think of all of the things that had happen in my life between the time I had seen it first and then.
Being some of the best pilots flying, it is really unusual to see the planes of this team crash. The worst incident of this type occurred several years ago when all four pilots crashed on a training flight.
On a happier note, this video of the first female Thunderbird pilot is very interesting.
It's a sad time, indeed.
I first saw them at Eielson AFB, Alaska. They came in for an airshow about a year after I got stationed there. We were standing outside the clinic having a smoke, when they flew in. It was awesome! They flew right over the clinic on the way to the flightline.
I saw them several times throughout my AF career.
I was on Active Duty at Langley AFB (HQ Air Combat Command) when the 4-Flight crashed. Bad times. When they stood the team back up, I watched the 'Approval' show-the team has to perform the show for the 4-Star at ACC before they can go on the show circuit. That show was not a lot of fun as they had instituted a while bunsh of safety of flight things, including a much higher 'floor' for their shows.
Our pilots push the envelope, especially fighter pilots and this team pushes it even farther and sometimes these accidents happen. The Navy team was perfroming here at Niagara Falls in the 90s (I think) and one of them crashed. My former boss was one of the 'walkers' afterwards-having to plant a flag by anythign that looked like airplane parts or human flesh, for investigation purposes.
Damn.
Damn indeed.