F-16 Viper Demo Team pilot returns to SDSU

SDSU grad Capt. Aimee ‘Rebel’ Fiedler to fly in Sioux Falls Airshow this weekend 

Capt. Aimee "Rebel" Fiedler, a 2013 South Dakota State University grad and pilot and commander of the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team, is back in South Dakota this week, and one of her stops included Brookings on Wednesday.

Fiedler and other members of the Viper Demo Team, along with Maj. Gen. Michael Koscheski, commander of the 15th Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, were special guests who spoke to students in the second session of the Aim High Flight Academy coordinated by SDSU this summer.

The SDSU aviation program teamed up with the U.S. Air Force to host two, three-week introductory flight programs for high school and college students from across the United States. The first session in Brookings was held June 11-29, and the second session ran from July 9-27. Thirty-four students participated.

Along with speaking and answering questions in Honors Hall on campus Wednesday, the guests later joined the students at the Brookings Regional Airport for the academy completion ceremony.

Fiedler and the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team will demonstrate the combat capabilities of F-16 fighter jets at the Sioux Falls Airshow on Saturday and Sunday at Joe Foss Field.

The pilot said she pulls 9Gs more than 15 times in her demonstration. “It’s very athletic. The word I use to describe it is violent. … It’s really exhilarating and fun, but it also hurts a little bit,” she said.

Fiedler made a special request to bring the Viper Demo Team to South Dakota for the Sioux Falls Airshow. It was an exception since the team typically does not go the same event as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, which also fly F-16s and were already scheduled for the Sioux Falls Airshow.

“I wanted to come to Sioux Falls and do a visit to South Dakota State. I love Brookings dearly. I have a ton of family that still lives here,” Fiedler said. “Just getting to be back on campus … this is my worlds colliding. Even flying into Sioux Falls this morning was so surreal, because I spent so many hours of my life flying from Brookings to Sioux Falls in a Cessna, and I could have never dreamed that this is where I was going to be in my career now. Getting to bring that back to SDSU …, that was really special to me.”

In their afternoon meeting with the Aim High Flight Academy students, Fiedler and Koscheski talked about the U.S. Air Force, their careers and obstacles they’ve overcome, and fielded questions and offered advice to the students.

Koscheski said he wants to make people aware of all the aviation opportunities out there, including the Air Force.

“The nation has a pilot shortage, so your timing is very good, both from a military aspect and from a civilian aspect,” Koscheski told the students. “Some of the initiatives we’re working on is … growing more pilots in the future through different programs, (the Aim High Flight Academy) being one of them.”

Fiedler said the Viper Demo Team aims to recruit and inspire the next generation of aviators.

“There are so many things you can do in the world of aviation, and it doesn’t necessarily mean being a pilot. So we want to represent that every time we travel and show people that it’s not just about recruiting for the Air Force. We’re recruiting for aviation. We’re also here to inspire people to be the best they can be and to be proud of the military,” Fiedler said.

Fiedler took a nontraditional path to where she is in her career today, flying as a civilian for 10 years before she realized she could be an officer in the Air Force. She started flying when she was 16, and after getting a four-year aviation degree at SDSU, she worked as a flight instructor as a civilian and then at the Navy Annapolis Flight Center. Then she applied for Officer Training School to be a pilot in the Air Force.

“I didn’t go to ROTC, I didn’t go to an academy, so I thought I kind of missed my chance to become a military aviator, and it turns out that wasn’t true. When I started realizing how much misinformation is out there about aviation in general and becoming a pilot and an officer in the military, I really wanted to change that for people,” she said.

Fiedler said the biggest impact the Air Force has had on her is being part of the Viper Demo Team.

“This job has changed my perspective on a lot of different things when it comes to the next generation that’s going to take over for me when I’m no longer doing this. It’s encouraging. I get to see and meet so many young adults and children who are incredibly passionate about STEM and aviation,” she said. “That has been the impact it’s had on me, realizing I have an effect on the next generation coming in and get to meet them first before they come take over.”

For more information on this weekend's performances.