Air show wraps up with display of A-10

Maj. Rob "Narc" Brogan is the kind of guy who coolly climbs out of the cockpit of an A-10 Warthog and crisply salutes two at-attention members of the flight crew. Sometimes he flashes a big smile that reveals crooked and ugly fake teeth to make them laugh.

Such jokes are frequent from the "professional prankster," said Tech Sgt. Robert Munoz, Brogan's teammate. So his teammates find ways to get even with him, such as placing an "It's My Birthday" banner in the cockpit of Brogan's Warthog on Saturday, his 33rd birthday.

In love with A-10 Warthogs since childhood, Brogan's drive to achieve his dreams have landed him as the demo pilot for the A-10 West Coast Demonstration Team, one of the performing teams at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival, which wrapped up Sunday.

His mission over the weekend was to entertain crowds of onlookers as he flew his A-10 Warthog into a series of figure eights, rolls and broad circles. His part of the show included simulated bomb and gun passes that included pyrotechnic blasts."It's fantastic," Brogan said about becoming the demo pilot eight months ago.

Attending air shows has provided memorable experiences, he said.

"I think when I look back on this in 10 or 15 years, I think the things I'm going to remember the most are going to be the people we've met on the road," Brogan said shortly after finishing his flight at the air show Sunday.

Capt. J.C. Culp, the safety observer who flies the plane to and from air shows, has known Brogan for eight years.

"He brings that all-American boy to the team," Culp said, describing him as sound, trustworthy and personable. "He always has five minutes for everybody."

Munoz, the noncommissioned officer in charge and narrator, agreed.

"I've seen him sit down and put kids on his knees and tell stories," he said. "He's great with kids."

Brogan said he grew up near an Air Force base that had A-10 Warthogs. After graduating college, he enlisted in the Air Force intent on flying the aircraft. For the first three years, he served as a criminal investigator, which is the origin of his nickname, "Narc." Then he entered the A-10 training program. He started as the demonstration team's ground narrator in 2000, then became the safety observer before eventually taking the spot as the A-10 team leader.

His career has taken him into two peacekeeping missions in Iraq and Korea where he patrolled no-fly zones and never fired a shot.

Had he fired any A-10 Warthog rounds, damage could have been extensive. The plane has a gun that can fire 70 Coca-Cola bottle-sized rounds per second, which makes the A-10 highly effective against tanks and other armored vehicles.

In addition to entertaining, Brogan attends air shows to recruit and encourage support for the military.

"I've got close friends that I know are in harm's way on a daily basis," Brogan said. "So for me, it's an honor to represent them to the public when we go to air shows."

jmetelski@semissourian.com

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