Written By: Cadet Elena Burgwald
My name is Elena Burgwald and I am an AS-200 (or sophomore) cadet at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s AFROTC Detachment 465. I am majoring in Criminal Justice with minors in Aerospace Studies and National Security Studies. I don’t yet know what exactly I want to do in the Air Force, as I feel like I am always learning about new AFSCs I could have once I commission. My desired jobs right now include working for the Office of Special Investigations, the intelligence field in general, or being a pilot.
I currently hold the position of Flyover Coordinator Technician, a job that has given me some incredible opportunities. I helped coordinate the first flyover of the semester for the Nebraska Volleyball Day, a historic event that brought over 90,000 people into Memorial Stadium. We worked with crew members from the South Dakota and Nebraska Air National Guards in order to bring in a KC-135 and F-16s for the game. I learned so much throughout the day about what exactly goes into a flyover, specifically all the preparation it entails. I thought it was particularly interesting to learn how many individuals it takes to make a flyover happen seamlessly. There were over 15 crew members who I walked around with during the game. For me personally, I didn’t have much of a direct role in the flyover or the preparation for it, as my position is a learning one. Much of my job is shadowing Cadet Captain Choat (the Flyover Coordinator) on how to correctly use the radios and also being included on administrative emails leading up to gamedays. My favorite part of the job so far has been having a role in Husker Gamedays and I am looking forward to being the Flyover Coordinator next season when I am in charge of calling the flyovers myself. On gameday, I was very excited to learn what exactly I would be doing for the rest of the semester. This particular flyover was unique, as there was a ground team to utilize the radios, telling the pilots all the necessary information. Even though this isn't usually the case, it was interesting to watch these professionals do their job and learn from them. We had a couple practice flyovers that morning and then we met up again with the crew about an hour before the game against UNO. It was incredible to watch from the top of the stadium as it filled with Husker fans. Once the flyover was complete, we waited for the pilots to drive back to Memorial Stadium and we walked around the stadium with them for the remainder of the night. It was evident to me then that I was a part of something much larger than myself and that was a really amazing experience.
