@AirDotShow

Meet the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team Pilot!

Maj. Taylor Hiester is the United States Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team Commander and Pilot stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C.

He is responsible for representing the the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense and the United States of America at more than 20 air shows annually around the world.

He leads a team of Airmen charged with showcasing the combat capabilities of the F-16 for millions of spectators each year. Maj. Hiester is humbled to serve in such a unique way and to have the chance to inspire Americans to serve their community whether they choose to join the military or not.

Maj. Hiester is from Robesonia, Pennsylvania. After graduating as the president of his class from Conrad Weiser High School in 2011, he attended Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Maj. Hiester received his commission as an officer from Penn State Detachment 720 of the Reserve Officer Training Corps and graduated Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB, Mississippi after being selected to fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 2017.

Following graduation from F-16 Basic Course at Holloman Air Force Base, Maj. Hiester served as a fighter pilot with the 114th Fighter Wing of the South Dakota Air National Guard Base in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he became an instructor pilot specializing in alert operations and VIP protection.

In 2021, Maj. Hiester was selected to serve as an Air Advisor with the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody AFB, GA. He graduated Air Advisor School of the Air Expeditionary Operations School in 2022, prepared to assess, advise, assist, train and equip partner nations.

In 2022, Maj. Hiester was assigned to Shaw AFB where he served as the project officer for OPERATION NOBLE EAGLE, preparing the fighter wing to conduct aerospace warning, control and defense operations of the homeland.

While assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing, he was selected to serve as the Commander and Pilot of the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team for the 2024 and 2025 airshow seasons.