Thunderbirds pilot remembered in Pahrump

The American and Nevada flags are shown flying at half-staff in Pahrump, a tribute to an Air Force Thunderbirds pilot killed when his jet crashed April 4 on the Nevada Test and Training Range.

“I have ordered flags to half-staff tomorrow, April 6, 2018, from sunrise to sunset as a mark of respect and in remembrance of U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron Slot Pilot Thunderbird 4, Maj. Stephen Del Bagno,” Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval wrote on Twitter on April 5. “We are grateful for your service.”

Del Bagno was in his first season as a pilot for the Thunderbirds, according to his biography on the team’s website. Originally from Valencia, California, he graduated from Utah Valley State University in 2005. He was commissioned from Officer Training School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama in 2007.

See more in the April 6 edition of the Pahrump Valley Times or on pvtimes.com