CK grad, now a Navy F/A-18 pilot, returning to headline Bremerton Air Show

It was just 11 years ago that twin brothers and Central Kitsap High alums John and James Mackovjak were graduating from the Naval Academy near the top of their class of midshipmen. Ultimately, the twins hoped to find a place flying Super Hornet fighter jets, they told the Kitsap Sun in a 2013 interview.

They've since done it. And now there's a more local connection as John, one of the four pilots selected in the West Coast’s Super Hornet Flight Demonstration Team, will return to his hometown to fly F/A-18 at the Bremerton Air Show on August 17 and 18.

"I wanted to do it because one, the flying is amazing. And then to be able to show off the flying across the country is also pretty special," John Mackovjak said.

John, now 31, is an F/A-18 instructor serving in VFA-122, the Navy's West Coast Fleet Replacement Squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. Though the squadron's primary mission is to train pilots to fly the FA-18E/F Super Hornet — over 150 new aviators each year by combat-experienced instructors — organizing a demo team to show the civilians the capabilities and versatility of the Navy jets is an auxiliary duty for them, he said.

James is now a strike fighter tactics instructor at the Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic in Naval Air Station Oceana, in Virginia. His main focus is on the tactics, making sure all the squadrons on the East Coast are "tactically proficient," John said.

More: Central Kitsap twins among best students at Naval Academy

From a Silverdale Navy family to skies above global conflict

The twins grew up in Silverdale and their parents were Navy officers. After graduating from the Naval Academy, both of them, who focused on control systems engineering and robotics as undergrads, sought graduate education before heading back for their flight training as Navy pilots.

John studied a Technology and Public Policy program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). James received a Master's of Philosophy in Renewable Technologies at the University of Cambridge and a Master's of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on renewable technologies at UC Berkeley, John said.

The Navy encourages not only pilots, but also surface warfare officers, submariners, and SEALs, to seek graduate education so the military will have well-rounded individuals to bring back to the fleet whether one's major is engineering, liberal arts, or STEM, John explained.

After flight training at jet bases, the twins both became F/A-18 pilots and have flown the Super Hornet in conflict areas around the world during their deployment with a fleet.

When the Afghanistan War ended in August 2021, James was deployed to Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). The carrier strike group operated in the Arabian Sea and James did flights and armed overwatch when the close-out of the war happened, John said. After three years in the fleet squadron, James was accepted to Top Gun in January 2023 and graduated from the Navy's strike fighter tactics instructor program in April 2023, making him an expert who trains squadrons on the newest tactics.

Around February 2022, when Russia first invaded Ukraine, John was deployed to a squadron with the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), which operated most of the time in the Adriatic Sea as regional tensions were building. He did combat air patrols for deterrence and integrated with the nation's NATO allies to ensure the Ukrainian-Russian conflict didn't expand, John said.

"The CVN 75 Carrier Strike Group were essentially under direct command of NATO during these exercises," John recalled, saying that it was interesting to be able to work with so many foreign countries. According to John, that was the first time a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group had been placed under NATO control since the end of the Cold War.

John said they are lucky that the Navy has given them opportunities to be trained and accomplish their goals of flying Navy jets around the world. Also, the support system from the Central Kitsap community has contributed to their success today, he said.

"Just stepping back, speaking for myself, I'm sure James has the same sentiment, but we really enjoyed our entire time off up to this point where we're at now. We got extremely fortunate," John said.

"We've had a great time. At least I've had. I'm sure he's the same."

Bremerton Air Show schedule for August

This year's Bremerton Air Show — which was the Wings Over Washington Air Show in 2023 — will take place on August 17 and 18 at the Port of Bremerton headquarters along Highway 3.

To John, besides returning to his hometown, flying at the Bremerton National Airport is special because the airfield is where he and James flew in a plane for the first time in their lives over 15 years ago.

"So, definitely feel pretty lucky, pretty special for me to be able to do this," John said. He hopes to inspire those who've never seen a Navy tactical jet.

Speaking of the air show, John said their F/A-18 demonstration was designed purely to show the capabilities of the the Super Hornet to the civilians.

"While our show may be entertaining, all these maneuvers are not just outlandish maneuvers we put together just to see if we could do them in front of a crowd," John said. These are all maneuvers that any fleet aviator could do, but the demo team will do them a little lower so the crowd can see them from the ground, he said.

Besides the Navy's F/A-18 demo team, the confirmed participants include the US Special Operations Command Para-Commandos team, the command's aerial parachute demonstration team, Undaunted Airshows’ two RV aerobatic routine, Mr. Dan Vance & Roger Collins in two P-51s, John Blasé in a Marchetti SF-260C, The Erickson Aircraft Collection, including a Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, a German WWII ME-109 fighter, and a Curtis P-40 Warhawk, Collins Historic Aircraft Foundation’s collection of various airplanes, Cascade Warbirds, and a Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Car, according to the port and the air show's website.

"The Navy Super Hornet demonstration is going to be the loudest and most exciting part, but there will be some great static display aircraft, and we have a car show. We have a bunch of food vendors already signed up," Bremerton Air Show CEO Doug Fratoni said.

Visitors can enter the gate starting at 11 a.m. The flying will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on both days and the gate will close at 5 p.m., Fratoni said. Also available at the event scene will be the local restaurant Amelia's Hangar's beer garden.

Port of Bremerton received a positive response for the show last year, and therefore, looked forward to bringing the event to the community, according to a statement issued earlier this month.

“We are excited that this year’s event is even bigger and better," the port's CEO Jim Rothlin said in the statement.

"We look forward to bringing such a wanted activity for our local community again this year and are confident it will be another great hub for economic generation locally,” Port Commissioner Gary Anderson said.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Navy pilot with Kitsap connections headlines Bremerton Air Show