Brian Kesselring

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Captain

Brian Kesselring
Captain Brian C. Kesselring
Service/branchUnited States Navy
RankCommander
UnitStrike Fighter Squadron VFA-105
Known forBlue Angels demonstration pilot
AwardsTwo Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals[1]
Alma materUnited States Naval Academy

Brian Kesselring is a naval aviator in the United States Navy. He was the flight leader and commanding officer of the Blue Angels, an elite fighter jet flight demonstration squadron.

Early life[edit]

Kesselring was raised in Fargo, North Dakota. He attended Concordia College (Moorhead, Minnesota) and he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and had three majors: physics, mathematics, and business.[1]

Career[edit]

Capt. Brian Kesselring salutes from the cockpit of his F/A-18 Super Hornet

Kesselring began his military career with the United States Navy in 2001.[2] He was trained at Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida and in 2001, he was commissioned in the United States Navy. After his flight training he was designated Naval aviator in 2003. He then had two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.[3] During his career he was instructor at the Top Gun School.[2] He was a staff instructor at the school from 2008-2011.[3]

He was then deployed in combat zones, in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom. Later he was deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve; he was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). By 2019 Kesserling had logged in excess of 4,600 flight hours and he had performed 812 carrier-arrested landings.[3]

Blue Angels[edit]

He joined the Blue Angels in September 2019 and from 2020 to 2022, the Blue Angels were led by Captain Brian Kesselring.[1][4] He took over leadership of the Blue Angels from Capt. Eric Doyle.[5] The Blue Angels transitioned from the legacy F/A-18 Hornet to the new F/A-18E Super Hornet during the 2022 season, the Super Hornets are larger and easier for fans to see at air-shows.[2]

Kesselring led the 2022 Blue Angels demonstration team when they were featured in the documentary film The Blue Angels.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "U.S. Navy Blue Angels Officers". Blue Angels. US Navy. 21 November 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Firsts". Pensacola News Journal. 9 July 2021. pp. A2. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "#1 Capt Brian C. Kesserling" (PDF). Blue Angels. United States Navy. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  4. ^ Callahan, Dan (5 April 2022). "Blue Angels announce new commanding officer for 2023–24 show seasons". Wear News. Archived from the original on 30 April 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ Nelsen-Gabriel, Melissa (3 April 2019). "Cmdr. Brian Kesselring Will Lead Team During 75th Anniversary, Possible Aircraft Transition". Pensacola News Journal. pp. A1. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  6. ^ Miller, Bruce (31 May 2024). "'It was time' for a Blue Angels film like no other". Sioux City Journal. Archived from the original on 23 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
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