如果说蓝天使飞行员是一种独特的职业，那就太轻描淡写了. There have only been about 280 since the group’s formation in 1946. But this year, one of those pilots is CC alum 上校ain Isaac Van Zandt Becker ’17.
“I grew up around planes and always knew I wanted to be a pilot,” Becker says. “我总是更喜欢用我的双手工作，在外面做一些事情，而不是学习东西. So, when I was looking at careers and what I thought about my future life, 我一直在寻找我能做些什么来摆脱典型的办公环境. The military really tied that all with my aviation interest.”
上校. Becker arrived at CC in the fall of 2013 from Austin, TX. 他主修地质学，并在课堂之外参加了CC自行车队的萨尔萨舞 & Blues Dance Club and the CC Choir, 并担任助理顾问, 徒步旅行领队, and a member of the CC Student Finance Committee. 在沃纳与一名海军陆战队员参观校园的一次偶然相遇，让贝克尔看到了在军队中的未来. 毕业后, 贝克尔加入了海军陆战队，担任过各种职务，包括在日本的第一个作战中队任职三年.
“CC is unique in that everyone has a hunger to do something impactful. A lot of friends that I had here were often volunteering in the local community, 去施粥所, even starting up their own charity services. T嘿 felt t嘿 could make a change in the world. The military is great in a lot of ways for that. You get to do that on a large scale in a system that’s already set up for you. Obviously, that’s multifaceted. But it’s a tool that can be used in a lot of different ways.”
自2023年9月起, 贝克尔曾担任海军飞行示范中队(蓝天使)C-130示范飞行员和航空安全官员(ASO)。. 作为C-130飞行员, his primary role is the logistical transportation of 45-50 personnel and 38,000磅. of mission equipment to each show site. 另外, 他作为一个随叫随到的资源，为中队的零件运行，如果需要广泛的维护. His secondary role is as a demonstration pilot, 在那里，他和其他蓝天使展示了球队C-130(俗称胖阿尔伯特)的操控能力。.
“作为一名蓝天使，最大的挑战是跟上球队的节奏,贝克尔说。. “在我们的演出季和冬季训练周期之间，我们平均每年有270-300天不在家里. 我们一直在移动，除了飞行之外，还有越来越多的责任. 平衡健康, 飞行, 在加入团队时，管理职责需要进行重大调整.”
He is also quick to note how well prepared he was for this challenge. 他说:“CC的快速街区计划是因祸得福。. “It prepared me for handling heavy workloads with short turnaround times, processing large volumes of complex information quickly, and ingrained a habit of critical evaluation and asking questions.”
蓝天使队的使命是展示美国空军的团队精神和专业精神.S. Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach, while inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country. The team travels to 32 show sites during their eight-month season, 进行飞行演示，并通过学校与当地社区接触, 医院, JROTC单位, 和更多的.
“By far, the best part of my job is the people I work with,贝克尔说。. “Everyone on this team is incredibly talented, 充满激情的, and driven to succeed – much like the atmosphere at CC. 和他们在一起让我重燃激情，让我每天都变得更好. The positive energy that my teammates bring is infectious, 我喜欢和我认识的一些最好的人一起工作!”
过去一周， 贝克尔随蓝天使队回到科罗拉多斯普林斯参加2024年派克峰航空展. While he was in town, he visited CC to take a walk down memory lane.
“There is something so special about this place,他说, walking along the dirt path leading to Palmer. “The first time I stepped on campus, it sung to me. I was like, I gotta go here. 这里的能量具有超强的磁性，非常吸引人.”
Becker is forever grateful for this place that he called home for four years. 他注意到并欣赏这些变化(“如果能走到街对面去看比赛，而不用坐公交车去世界竞技场，那该有多好!” and “This is definitely not the library we had. 这个地方太棒了!”), but loves how it still feels like the first time he stepped foot on campus. “I just knew this is where I was supposed to be,他说.
贝克尔意识到，当谈到他的地质学专业和他选择的职业时，有一点脱节. 但他指出，他所受教育的影响超出了具体的科目. “从我的飞机窗户往外看，就能知道我飞过的所有东西，这真是太酷了. But it speaks more to the broadening of my mind here. Whether I’m 飞行 over the Western Pacific or volcanic islands in Japan, looking out at neat geological stuff or, 你知道, just really going anywhere and having that view of curiosity.”
他还提到CC是如何鼓励他拓宽世界观和人生目标的. “这一切都是为了获得这样的视角，看到我的一小滴水是如何帮助装满一桶水的, made that experience a lot more impactful for me. 我认为文科帮助了我，因为在CC，我被灌输了这种文化, 嘿, 你在这里. It’s going to be a good time. 你会学到很多，但你有责任以某种方式回馈社会. And for me, [the military] is my way.”
而贝克尔可以花几个小时讨论CC生活和军事生活的异同, 为他, the main similarity comes down to passion. “军队里的人和CC里的人很相似，他们都很有激情. T嘿 really love this country, t嘿 love it for very different reasons sometimes. But I think everyone is pretty uniform in that we love this country. We all want what is best for it. We might disagree on what exactly that is, but we do want what’s best for it. 当我们开诚布公地交谈时，很难诋毁那些和我想法不同的人. Sometimes it gets heated, 但是当你深入到它们的核心原理时，你就能更好地理解它们. Not saying I agree with everybody, especially in this climate, but it humanizes the other side of the table.”
当被问及他在《赌博正规的十大网站》中最喜欢的回忆时，贝克尔立即指向了人们. 他说:“我在CC结交的朋友仍然是我生命中最特别的一些。. “CC is unique in so many ways, 但对我来说，最深刻的是每个人对学习和冒险的激情和热情. 那是我去过的唯一一个让我觉得可以和任何人和睦相处的地方, and I’ve never had as many friends as I did here. 我几乎不可能在校园里遇到一个好朋友，并被他们的生活所吸引.”
至于未来, 贝克尔希望成为一名指导员，以某种方式回馈海军航空界，并帮助塑造下一代飞行员.
“Whether in an operational squadron, teaching new KC-130 co-pilots how to employ the aircraft in tactical settings, 或者作为一名飞行学校的教官，教授几乎没有飞行经验的新军官飞行的基本原理,贝克尔说。. “我相信分享我从经历中获得的知识将是非常有益的, watch future leaders grow, and help them reach their full potential.”
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