(1)
Cadet Airman Thomas Henschell.
(2)
Cadet Airman Thomas Henschell and Cadet Master Sgt. David Kirsch.
(3)
Cadet Airman Caitlin Niemen and Cadet Master Sgt. Kyle Sebesta.
(4)
(From left) Cadet Airman Caitlin Niemann, Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf, Cadet Master Sgt. Kyle Sebesta and Lt. Col. Paul Adams.
1st Lt. George Supan
Public Affairs Officer
Group 3
Minnesota Wing
MINNESOTA – Jan. 15 was a great winter day for flying over St. Paul, thanks to crisp air and blue skies, and the cadets’ smiles, already about as big as they could be before their orientation flights, were even bigger when they returned.
Lt. Col. Paul Adams, director of logistics for the Minnesota Wing, enjoyed the opportunity to share his training and experience as a pilot with four cadets from the St. Paul Composite Squadron.
Cadet Master Sgt. David Kirsch and Cadet Airman Thomas Henschell, who shared the first flight, enjoyed their ride and their aerial view of St. Paul on a clear day. So did Cadet Master Sgt. Kyle Sebesta and Cadet Airman Caitlin Niemann, who shared the second flight.
“It was my first O-flight and I thought it would be hard,” Niemann said. Once she was in the air, though, “It was awesome: I’m ready to go again,” she said.
The experience soon proved even more memorable not only for the cadets but also their pilot.
The three were about to get some refreshments at the terminal during refueling when they noticed a man standing near the beverage area with a Minnesota Vikings football jacket on. The Vikings were hosting the Dallas Cowboys that weekend in the NFL playoffs, so the man could have been just about any fan.
To their surprise, he turned out to be Zygi Wilf -- the Vikings’ owner.
“I could see the surprise on the cadets’ faces as I told them who this man was”, Adams recalled.
Wilf joined the Civil Air Patrol members for some photos as they told him about their orientation flight experiences. “The O-flight was great but meeting Zygi was out of this world,” Niemann said.
The cadets’ pilot must have agreed, because “Col. Adams was acting like a kid,” Niemann said.
As they parted ways, Adams shouted "Skol Vikings!" to Wilf, who responded, "Go Vikings!”
