She was born in Melbourne. Now 'Mad' will fly A-10 to highlight the Cocoa Beach Air Show
Born in Melbourne, Lindsay Johnson left the Space Coast as a little Harbor City Elementary kindergartner when her father took a U.S. Army assignment in Virginia.
She's back — and she's got the call sign "Mad."
A U.S. Air Force captain, Johnson is commander and pilot of the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team, which swooped into Melbourne on Wednesday afternoon in advance of this weekend's Cocoa Beach Air Show.
"Kind of a full-circle moment. It's pretty awesome for me," Johnson said minutes after climbing out of her cockpit, standing on the rainy apron in her flight suit at Melbourne Orlando International Airport.
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The gunmetal-gray A-10 will take to the sky as a Cocoa Beach Air Show headline act. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds top the bill's military lineup, which also features the U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler, B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber, C-17 Globemaster III and an Air Force Reserve 920th Rescue Wing combat search-and-rescue demonstration. A roster of civilian stunt performers will also fly.
The air show takes place Saturday and Sunday. Opening ceremonies start at 11 a.m., and flight performances are scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. The Thunderbirds will perform from 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Admission is free along the Cocoa Beach shoreline. Centered at Lori Wilson Park, the air show's "aerobatic box" viewing area stretches along two miles of sand from the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier to Minutemen Causeway.
Lori Wilson Park will host premium-ticket zones ranging from $34 for the “Drop Zone Beach” with food and beverage stands to $199 for the “Flight Line Club” VIP experience. For ticket information, visit the website at cocoabeachairshow.com.
Traffic congestion note: Air show organizers recommend that spectators leave 45 minutes to an hour earlier than usual to find parking.
"With the weather predicted to be nice, I would advise people to come out early to get parking. Because that's always at a premium for beach shows," said Chris Dirato, air show spokesperson.
The A-10 demo team is based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. Johnson commands the 10-member team, which includes three crew chiefs and a superintendent, noncommissioned officer in-charge, avionics systems specialist, electrical and environmental technician, engine specialist and public affairs specialist.
"The A-10 Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces. They are simple, effective and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against light maritime attack aircraft and all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles," according to the team's media kit.
The team's two A-10s touched down Wednesday, then loudly taxied up to the Florida Institute of Technology's Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research at FIT Aviation at 5:35 p.m. with their twin-turbofan engines whirring. Dozens of flight students shot photos and video on their phones.
Johnson, who graduated high school in Virginia in 2010 and commissioned through the Air Force Academy, earned an online Master of Science in aviation safety from Florida Tech last year. Her father, Gary, is an FIT Aviation assistant chief instructor. He greeted her on the apron with a hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Pretty cool," Gary Johnson said. "I'm a proud father. She was born here in the county and went to kindergarten on Sarno Road."
As a veteran instructor pilot, Lindsay Johnson has amassed more than 1,250 flight hours aboard the T-38 Talon and A-10C Thunderbolt II in Texas, Korea and Arizona — including 431 combat flight hours in Afghanistan.
A new @A10DemoTeam pilot is in town! ✈️
Check it out ➡️ https://t.co/w0fApUqiXv pic.twitter.com/FwzY9hIqQ1— Air Combat Command (@aircombatcmd) March 14, 2023
In May, FLORIDA TODAY interviewed 2011 Florida Tech graduate U.S. Navy Lt. Kelsey "Dip" Daucher when she returned to the Space Coast as an electronic warfare officer with the U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler Legacy Team.
Daucher — who played goalkeeper on the women's soccer team and worked as a flight instructor — earned a bachelor's degree in aviation management with flight. She was in town to participate in the Space Coast International Air Show in Titusville.
A Cocoa Beach Air show pilot welcome party takes place from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at 4th Street Fillin Station, 382 N. Orlando Ave. in Cocoa Beach. Then on Friday, Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill will host an air show take-off party from 7 to 9 p.m. at 610 Glen Cheek Drive at Port Canaveral.
On Saturday, a Cajun Duck Derby fundraiser will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Beachside Hotel & Suites lazy river at 3901 N. Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach. Entry fee for each duck is $50. All net proceeds benefit the National Air, Sea and Space Foundation's Stephen “Cajun” Del Bagno Memorial Scholarship, in partnership with Florida Tech.
Bagno, who flew as Thunderbird #4, was killed in a Nevada flight training crash 10 days after his team performed at the 2018 Melbourne Air and Space Show.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Female Thunderbolt pilot to star in Cocoa Beach Air Show
