Aggieland From The Air: Behind The Scenes Of A Game Day Flyover
Follow U.S. Army Reserve pilot Nam Cao ’20 as he straps into the cockpit of a UH-60 Blackhawk and soars over Kyle Field.
1st Lt. Nam Cao ’22, part of the flyover team for the Aggies’ season opener at Kyle Field, straps on his flight helmet before taking off from College Station’s Easterwood Airport on Saturday, Sept. 1.
For fans of Aggie football, flyovers at Kyle Field are a staple of the game day experience. For those in the cockpit, they can be an unforgettable and sometimes emotional ride.
That was certainly the case for 1st Lt. Nam Cao ’20, a pilot with the U.S. Army Reserve who helped fly one of three UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters through the skies over Kyle Field during the Aggies’ season opener on Sept. 1.
“I just so grateful to be able to do this,” Cao said, recalling his time in Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets and the tremendous support he’s received from family and fellow Aggies. “Both my older sisters went to Texas A&M, so they kind of paved that road for me. I knew I wanted to become an officer, so I looked into the Corps and saw just how much opportunity they had for me.”
Now, just three years after earning his degree, Cao has become the latest Aggie pilot to complete a flyover mission at his alma mater, joining an exclusive circle of fellow alumni who can say they’ve experienced Aggie game day from the air.
“It’s something I feel like I’ve been preparing for since I graduated,” he said. “Texas A&M, the Corps of Cadets, and the Army Reserve have really prepared me for a moment like this.”
