Chaparral grad returns home as member of Thunderbirds

Dick Benoit

Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001 | 8:22 a.m.

Chaparral High School students and alumni who attended the air show in Jean last weekend saw the handiwork of one of their own.

Michael Niswonger, class of 1994, has returned to Las Vegas as a member of the Thunderbirds, the Air Force air demonstration squadron, at Nellis Air Force Base. The staff sergeant is the son of Joseph and Kathy Niswonger of Las Vegas. He joined the Air Force in the summer of 1994.

Niswonger is one of 130 select enlisted airmen from 25 different career fields who support the eight pilots who perform the precision aerial maneuvers in the F-16 fighter jets.

An aircraft structural maintenance specialist, Niswonger is an assistant crew chief for the team. Since joining the team in April, he has traveled with the team to air shows in Texas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington.

The squadron performs more than 88 air shows each year before more than 280 million spectators in 50 states and 57 foreign countries.

Prior to his transfer to Nellis, Niswonger was assigned to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in South Carolina. He learned his skills as a structural maintenance specialist at an Air Force technical school at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and a joint service training center at Naval Air Station in Memphis, Tenn.

The sergeant says Thunderbird maintenance specialists must adhere to high standards to progress as members of the team.

"As a new member of the maintenance team I work the night shift now," he said. "But I look forward to earning the honor of handling an F-16 at show center in the future."

In brief

He is the son of Harry Ridge of North Las Vegas and Alexandra Ridge of Las Vegas.

During the six weeks of training, Martinez and Schiff studied the Air Force mission, organization, and customs and received special training in human relations. In addition, airmen who complete basic training earn credits toward an associate's degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

During the nine weeks of training the new soldiers received instruction and practice in drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, the military justice system, physical fitness, basic first aid, and Army values, principles and traditions.