9th AF vice commander takes part in hometown air show

  • Published
  • By Maj. Tristan Hinderliter
  • 9th Air Force Public Affairs

On a sunny Saturday on the Florida coast late last month, Col. Scott Caine, 9th Air Force vice commander, talked to scores of air show visitors about the U.S. Air Force and what it’s like to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt.

Caine knows a lot about both, since he’s been in the Air Force nearly 30 years and has been flying the jet since 1994.

He was at the Vero Beach Air Show, hosted at the Vero Beach Regional Airport, just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Caine talked to spectators on the ramp next to two A-10s from Whiteman AFB, Mo., and attended the pilot’s briefing on Saturday morning for two A-10s from Moody, AFB, Ga., that performed a fly-by during the air show.

Caine was in the announcer’s booth for that fly-by and talked to the crowd as the jets roared overhead, thanking the community for their great support of the Armed Forces.

The opportunity to interact with the community was especially rewarding for the colonel and his family, because Vero Beach is home for them.  As a military brat, Caine’s family moved around a lot as he was growing up, but they settled in Vero Beach when he was ten, and he stayed there until he left for college after graduating from Vero Beach High School in 1979. Caine’s wife, Pam, is from Melbourne, Fla., and also attended Vero Beach HS. 

The Caines have a home there and plan to spend their time on the Florida coast after the colonel retires, which he is planning to do next spring.

“All throughout my career, people have always loved seeing the A-10,” he said. “It was particularly gratifying to be able to be there as an Airman, to pass along some of my experiences and to tell the great story of our Air Force.”