Local fighter pilot reflects on bird’s-eye view of 250th

He couldn’t smell the smoke or hear the cannons. But Alex Ostrom had one of the best seats in the house when he screamed over the Concord250 celebrations in an F-15 fighter jet. 

A 2007 Acton-Carlisle High School graduate, Ostrom now flies with the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. He piloted one of three planes in the flyover at the end of the April 19 ceremony at the Old North Bridge. 

Ostrom said the flight was a one-of-a-kind experience. His father said Ostrom earned his spot in the cockpit after a childhood around planes.

“It was such a cool experience,” Ostrom said. 

Path to the sky

Ostrom was born at Emerson Hospital. His dad, Andrew, said his son used to walk with his mother from Carlisle to North Bridge Patriots Day ceremonies. 

Ostrom learned to fly in the Navy after college and deployed abroad for U.S. operations against ISIS in 2016. He returned to Massachusetts in 2023.

Ostrom has piloted flyovers at Fenway Park, Arlington National Cemetery, and Gillette Stadium. When higher-ups sought volunteers for the Acton event, he raised his hand. 

Last month’s operation placed Ostrom and another fighter pilot on either side of a New Hampshire Air National Guard aerial refueling jet. 

Ostrom said the arrangement was different from other flyovers. The schedule was also more complicated, as organizers timed the arrival around speeches, performances, and cannon and musket salutes. 

Ostrom saw gunsmoke from the cannon salute several miles out. “I was like, ‘Oh man, we’re right on track here,” he said.

Concord250 organizer John Hickling said the flyover was a team effort. “I’m just so pleased that we were able to deliver,” he said. 

Indelible memories

Andrew Ostrom was recovering from surgery and missed the flyover. 

As his son grew up, he said, the family went to air shows and twice attended the fly-in Oshkosh convention in Wisconsin. On the first trip, they flew in a rented single-engine plane that he described as “the Chevy Suburban of airplanes.” 

Andrew Ostrom dreamed of an aviation career, but stayed grounded because it wasn’t financially feasible for his family. He said he “can’t imagine a better gig than flying the F-15s or F-18s every day.”

He has pictures of his son as a youngster in the cockpit of an A-10 Warthog plane and a military helicopter. 

“You can just see this look of total joy on his face,” he said. 

Alex Ostrom wanted to be a fighter pilot when he was in early elementary school, his father said. Many people have similar dreams, he said, “and it never comes close to happening.” 

In this case, he said, “It happened.” 

“We’re so proud that he’s doing what he’s doing,” Andrew Ostrom said of his son, “and happy to see him happy doing it.”