TUCSON, Ariz. - The A-10 is a key to keeping American troops safe on the battle field and a mainstay of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Friday, KGUN9 On Your Side spent the morning with the A-10 demo team.
Major Cody Wilton is trained to fly the A-10 Warthog into combat but Friday he and his team prepared for a different mission---to show the rest of us what the A-10 can do.
Major Wilton says, “Oh, it's amazing. I mean the A-10 has such a long and storied history in fact I mean this airplane was built the year before I was born, and I get to take it on the road now and show it now and show it off to the US and internationally for the Air Force. It’s awesome.”
As the pilot for the A-10 Demo team Major Wilton shows air show audiences why ground troops love the Warthog---the power and ability to make tight maneuvers that helps the hawgs keep a close watch over the troops and take out any enemy that could be a threat.
After an actual air show performance Major Wilton will meet with the audience.
“That's where you get some of the personal experiences from some of the vets, you know that have been on the ground and the A-10s help save their life one day or maybe save someone's uncle's life, you know, we get those stories a lot.”
The A-10 Demo Team often shares it's training and air show performances through the team's Facebook page, and Twitter account.
The A-10 Demo team also shares the skies with great planes from history through the Air Force Heritage flight program. Those planes and their pilots will gather at Davis-Monthan the end of this month to practice the special skills required when old and new planes fly close together.
But this day, the A-10 has the sky to itself, showing why a plane no one would call sleek, has a special beauty to the troops it protects on the ground.
