Photo By Staff Sgt. Lisa Crawford | Family members of U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilot, Nick Krajicek, wear matching No....... read more read more
As a young boy growing up in West Point, Nebraska, Maj. Nick Krajicek set high goals for himself, hoping to one day leave the farm he lived on and experience “something different.” Never once did he envision those goals would lead him miles into the sky traveling just under the speed of sound.
Krajicek is currently the No. 4 Thunderbird for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Air Demonstration Squadron, flying an F-16C Fighting Falcon. But his journey to become part of this prestigious and third-oldest formal flying aerobatic team wasn’t a usual pilot’s trip into the air.
Krajicek started his career as an infantryman when he enlisted into the Nebraska Army National Guard in 1995 in Wayne, Nebraska – his first taste of adventure and a way to pay for college. A year later, while riding on his first helicopter, Krajicek said he knew he was destined for a career in aviation.
“I was at Fort Polk in the summer of 1996, and we were able to fly into a (helicopter landing zone),” Krajicek said. “I remember it was exhilarating and it instantly excited me in terms of aviation.”
He graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in 2000, shortly after attending U.S. Army’s flight school at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and becoming a warrant officer. He began flying UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters on air ambulance missions as a member of the Lincoln-based 24th Medical Company (Air Ambulance) through multiple deployments, looking at his role as a way to personally support the ground troops he came from.
“My grandfather was a private pilot, so I think it was always in my blood,” Krajicek said. “Looking back, I think his love of flying genetically made it into my body and my mind.”
Eventually, that love of flying pushed him well beyond helicopters and the Army National Guard all together. “We have a lot of good pilots in Nebraska, but Nick was one of those guys that you knew was special,” said Col. Lynn Heng, who served with Krajicek during a year-long deployment to Kosovo.
During that time, Krajicek served as Heng’s co-pilot during an intense, heavy-weather flight. “Young guys like him might be rattled, but he was calm and cool from the get-go. I knew then he was going to be a really good pilot.”
Heng said Krajicek put so much effort into becoming a good pilot that he could only support him when the young pilot began looking into pursuing a commission with the active Air Force in 2004.
“We don’t like losing good pilots, but we (as leaders) should never hinder a career, be it in the Army or the Air Force,” Heng said. “He had the desire and ambition to reach for something many others wouldn’t reach for. You couldn’t help but support him.”
Krajicek said his sense of service was at an all-time high following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and he began looking at ways to apply his skills in the most effective manner. After working with the Air Force during his deployments and seeing their close air support capabilities, he said he decided that becoming an active duty Air Force pilot would be his next goal.
Heng joked that he – of course – tried to talk Krajicek into staying with the National Guard, but always supported his choice to further his career.
“My ultimate goal is to get every Soldier in the Nebraska National Guard to reach their goals,” Heng said. “Nick is a perfect example that the sky’s the limit and you can go as far as you want to go.”
Krajicek began as a second lieutenant in the Air Force and served in a variety of roles including the wing director of staff and an F-16 instructor pilot, logging more than 3,300 flight hours as a military pilot, with more than 650 hours of combat experience. He reported to Las Vegas in September 2015 to train as a Thunderbirds pilot for nearly five months before finally taking to the skies to perform.
“It’s an amazing opportunity to represent the Air Force this way,” Krajicek said. “We go out and demonstrate pride and precision, and represent 680,000 Air Force members on a weekly basis. I’m humbled and privileged by that.”
While most of the public considers the Thunderbirds to be just the six main pilots, the Thunderbirds crew includes more than 120 enlisted members and 12 officers serving in more than 25 different career fields. And when the Thunderbirds aren’t flying air demonstrations, they’re conducting community outreach. Krajicek said after working with former Thunderbirds and watching how their experiences shaped them into amazing leaders, he began to work on becoming a Thunderbird pilot himself.
“It was an instant fit for my career progression, as a way to inspire next generations of Americans – and potential Airmen – to be good citizens,” Krajicek said. “If I can inspire kids to be something better than what they think they can be, that is success to me.”
Krajicek credits Heng’s support as one of the reasons he worked hard to become an officer and ultimately a Thunderbird pilot. He said he plans to keep pushing himself to do something different for as long as he can make a difference in others’ lives.
“That’s the hallmark of being a good leader,” Krajicek said. “You help support and push people. I want to inspire others to have a dream and to not be afraid of failure. Surround yourself with people who will help you achieve your dreams and keep pushing forward.”
Krajicek and his wife of 16 years have two daughters who have traveled the country with him throughout his military career. The majority of his immediately family, most of whom live in the Omaha-area, were able to watch him perform as a Thunderbird pilot for the first time during the 2016 Air Show on Offutt Air Force Base, July 30-31.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2016 10:49 |
| Story ID: | 210172 |
| Location: | NE, US |
| Hometown: | OMAHA, NE, US |
| Web Views: | 136 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Bringing the Thunder: Former Nebraska Guard infantryman dreams big, lands sky-high gig, by SSG Lisa Crawford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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