VACA HIGH GRAD AMONG PERFORMERS AT AIR SHOW
Even amid a global pandemic, airmen at Travis Air Force Base have remained as busy as ever, distributing supplies and maintaining readiness.
Still, one thing has been missing during that time: events such as the Wings Over Solano Air Show, typically held every two years but postponed last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That changes this weekend when the air show and open house returns, giving civilians an opportunity to not only visit the base but also see thrilling scenes play out in the sky.
One of those scenes is that of Haley Brunkal, 2019 Vacaville High School graduate, who will be joining her fellow Air Force Academy cadets by jumping out of a C-17 Globemaster, deploying parachutes and gliding safely to the ground.
Local media got a sneak preview
of Wings of Blue's skydiving feats, as well as other stunts to be performed at this weekend's air show, in a special event Friday.
Major Chris Williston, C-17 pilot and deputy director of the open house, said this year's air show was a “catchup year,” having not been held since 2019.
“To be able to be the first air show post-COVID, post-Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (in Afghanistan), after all of that work and all the extra efforts we had to put in this last year, it's great to put on something and provide something fun and entertaining for everybody — not only everybody on the base but off the base in the area,” he said.
Williston said attendees will be able to see the various jobs that go along with being an Air Force pilot and the various responsibilities of the branch.
“Everybody loves to see the pilots and talk to loadmasters for cargo planes, but there's a lot of support that goes with that,” he said. “For instance, air medical evacuation teams, contingency response groups.”
Williston said when evacuations were done out of Afghanistan last year, contingency crews were the first to ensure the fields of Kabul were adequate enough to land in.
“Some of the subset positions that normal people don't really actually know about or get to see, you'll be able to see that firsthand being at this air show,” he said.
The goal, Williston said, was to honor the past and inspire the future. Everybody from World War II veterans and their descendants to younger individuals with an interest in the Air Force will find something neat at both the open house and air show.
“It's really exciting to have all those individuals out here, and we love to support the local area as well, not just Solano County but California and the rest of the United States,” he said.
Several of the performers on tap for this weekend provided sneak peaks at Friday's media event, including demonstrations of the C-17, F-35, Viper, Patriot Jet Team and the aerial stunts of pilot Vicky Benzing aboard her 1940 Boeing Stearman.
One highlight was the Wings of Blue parachute team comprised of cadets from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The parachutists jumped out out a plane, unfurled their parachutse as well as various flags ranging from the Air Force flag to the U.S. flag and landed softly on the ground.
Brunkal was among the seven parachutists. During her time at Vaca High, she played soccer and was the senior class president, but she always had an interest in the Air Force, as her stepfather, Steve Lisec, flew a C-5 at Travis for 28 years. However, she was not initially sure what capacity she wanted to serve in.
“Then I found a passion for medicine,” she said. “I volunteered here at the Fisher House on Travis Air Force Base and served patients getting treated at David Grant (Medical Center) during high school.”
Brunkal said she had to decide between attending a civilian school after high school and doing pre-med work before enlisting in the Air Force or going straight to the Academy.
“Ultimately, the opportunities that you get at the Academy and the leadership experience ultimately tipped me in that direction,” she said.
Brunkal, now a junior at the Academy, said the opportunity would allow her to become “the best leader I could be before becoming a commissioned officer.” She ultimately plans to attend Texas A&M University for medicine.
The summer after her freshman year, Brunkal enrolled in Airmanship 490, a basic free-fall parachuting course where cadets receive 40 hours of ground training and drive free-fall jumps. Unlike other cadet jump programs throughout the world, a cadet's first jump must be performed entirely solo.
Initially, Brunkal hated the idea of skydiving.
“I thought it was terrifying,” she said. “I never wanted to do it again.”
However, being part of a tight-knit group made Brunkal fall in love with it. Although uncomfortable, she said she never felt unsafe with all the on-the-ground training she received. By the 60th jump, she was no longer nervous and was actually excited.
“It's pretty amazing to have 20-year-olds teach other 20-year-old how to jump out of a plane and save their own life,” she said. “It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up.”
Above all, Brunkal was thrilled about being able to do this activity in the place she grew up in. During her time back in Vacaville, she said she has driven around with her friends at the Academy and shown off places such as her old high school or Nugget Market, where she used to work.
“It's been pretty surreal to share that with them,” she said. “Vacaville is such a great village to raise a child and make them somebody to send out and be a person of the community. When they came yesterday, they were like, `This makes so much sense. Everybody's so nice.' Vacaville's a very special place to me.”
Brunkal's time at the Air Force Academy has taken her to different places, but she said none feel like home the way Vacaville does.
“It's been an incredible opportunity to come home,” she said. “It just feels warm and welcoming.”
The air show is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the base. The public entrance opens at 9 a.m. and is available at the David A. Grant Medical Center gate, located off Air Base Parkway in Fairfield. For more information, go to Travis.af.mil/ TravisAirShow/.