Photo By Tech. Sgt. Peter Reft | U.S. Air Force Capt. Ethan “Bantam” Smith, Pacific Air Forces F-16 Demonstration...... read more read more
Subscribe
U.S. Air Force Capt. Ethan “Bantam” Smith slams the engine throttle to maximum, creating 29,000 lbs. of thrust that launches the F-16 Fighting Falcon down the runway at over 150 mph before lifting off and immediately banking hard into a figure eight turn. Low pressure air ripping away from the fuselage condenses the late Spring humidity into an iconic pair of white vapor cones engulfing the sides of the jet.
Repositioning for a high-speed pass, Bantam steadies the pressure-sensitive control stick with surgical precision, and slams forward the throttle again. In the cockpit, his world remains as calm and steady as his nerves of steel, hardened by hundreds of hours of training. Outside, the F-16 bolts across the airfield at 725 mph with an ear splitting 135-decibel roar of defiance and unleashed air power. Bantam continues his high intensity aerial demo routine the same as dozens of past performances as the PACAF Viper Demo pilot.
However, this demonstration flight was unlike any other before it because this is the final Demo flight for PACAF’s F-16 Demo Team.
After thirty years of inspiring goodwill and promoting positive relations between the U.S. and partner nations across Indo-Pacific and European theaters, the Pacific Air Forces F-16 Demonstration Team conducted its final demonstration flight at Misawa Air Base, Japan, May 30, 2025.
“Personally, I think it’s the best feeling in the world. Only a select few people have ever been the PACAF Demo pilot,” said Smith. “It’s truly an honor to be the last PACAF Demo pilot to close out this legacy of 30 years, and I get to be the exclamation point at the end.”
Capt. Smith first joined as one of the team’s safety observers in 2022 before becoming the demo pilot.
“When I was first selected to be the demonstration pilot, I was ecstatic, a huge honor,” said Smith. “I was a safety observer a year prior to that, and put my hat in the ring for the job and got it! It’s been off to the races ever since.”
“It’s been the most amazing three years being a part of Demo, but now I’m moving to my next assignment,” he added.
The demo team is scheduled to fully deactivate on June 16, 2025, making this the final Demo flight for PACAF’s F-16 Demo Team.
“By then, Bantam will have changed duty stations,” said Master Sgt. Bradley Pippin, PACAF F-16 Demonstration Team superintendent. “The rest of us will be at the American Day event on June 15, taking photos, signing autographs and giving one final farewell to all the people here at Misawa who have supported us since the beginning.”
Since that beginning in 1995, the demo team played a vital role in not only enhancing U.S. relations with Japan, but also with 20 other countries around the world including but not limited to the Philippines, Mexico, United Kingdom, Egypt, India, Republic of Korea, Australia and Malaysia.
In a 2007 correspondence between the 35th Fighter Wing historian, Senior Master Sgt. Donald Koser, and the first PACAF F-16 Demonstration Team pilot, Lt. Col. Bryan “Shadow” Turner, recounted the creation of the team.
“Now Chief Master Sgt. Lloyd Muranaka and I stood the team up at Misawa AB starting in mid-summer 1995. Prior to that, PACAF did not have a demonstration team,” Turner said. “The PACAF Commander, Gen. John Lorber (former 35th FW commander) directed Misawa to stand up a team. This enabled PACAF to increase visibility within the region, as well as show our allies (and others watching) the caliber of men, women and air power deployed within the region.”
“Overall, during the first two seasons of the PACAF Demo Team, we traveled over 110,000 miles, performed over 40 shows in 6 countries to over 4 million people, including 7 heads of state.”
According to limited data from various demo pilot accounts, internal documents, and previous PACAF news articles, the PACAF F-16 Demonstration Team performed approximately 400 airshows with an estimated 24.7 million attendees over its 30-year tenure as U.S. Air Force ambassadors.
“It is truly an honor representing not only the USAF but the United States as whole around the world and showing off the jet to millions of people,” said Smith. “For 30 years, the demo team has been inspiring the next generation of pilots and airmen. I’ve even met some Japan Air Self Defense Force cadets at the airshows.”
The demo team conducted its final public performance for 117,000 people at the Yokota Air Base during the Japanese-American Friendship Festival, May 17 and 18, 2025. This event hosted two flying aircraft, the second of which was flown by Col. Matthew Kenkel, the 35th Fighter Wing deputy commander.
“It was an honor and a privilege to fly alongside the Demo Team at their final public appearance at the Yokota Friendship Festival, more than 14 years since my last experience on the demo team in 2011,” said Kenkel. “I am continually amazed at the caliber of the Airman selected to be a part of the team and the impact they continue to have all across the Pacific.
As a prior demo team member of three years and wearing the familiar black demo team flight suit, droves of airshow attendees crowded around both Kenkel and Smith for selfies and autographs.
“The energy of the crowd and the dedication of Japanese airshow fans was incredible,” said Kenkel. “Fans brought photos from the day before and asked for autographs, and they stuck it out through rough weather on Saturday to enjoy a great airshow day on Sunday. The connection, the excitement, and the amazing interactions continue to strengthen the alliance between our two nations.”
“Oh man, I wish you could have seen it,” exclaimed Pippin, “People formed a huge line for autographs, and we were just signing everything for two hours right up until closing time! It’s really all about the people, they make all of this so worth it.”
While moments like these reflect the strong community bonds with demo team members, they also underscore the base’s evolving role in regional security and U.S.-Japan defense cooperation.
“Misawa is transitioning to an F-35 fighter wing as part of U.S. Forces Japan’s broader modernization efforts,” said Kenkel. “Basing the F-35 here is a significant investment in regional security and deepens our integration with Japanese allies. This move doesn’t just enhance our deterrence posture today—it sets the tone for what Misawa will represent over the next 40 years: a forward, ready, and modern force at the edge of the Indo-Pacific.”
| Date Taken: | 05.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2025 08:00 |
| Story ID: | 499254 |
| Location: | MISAWA AIR BASE, AOMORI, JP |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, PACAF F-16 Demo Team conducts final flight after 30 years of enhancing U.S. relations worldwide, by TSgt Peter Reft, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
