Navy pilot with Libby ties will be part of Super Bowl flyover

Super Bowl Sunday is always a special event, but the 2023 edition will hold a much more significant meaning for a Libby family.

Anna Schauer’s stepdaughter, Caitie Perkowski, is a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy and she is scheduled to be part of the jet flyover following the National Anthem at Sunday’s big game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

“As you might imagine, my Dad is over the moon,” Schauer said in an interview with The Western News. “My two daughters spent their summers in Libby with Grandma and Grandpa and he is proud of them both.”

Schauer is a Libby native and graduate of the Class of 1981. Her parents are Rocky and Kenni Ann Schauer. Kenni Ann died of cancer on March 1, 2022. Rocky still lives in Libby. Schauer said she’ll be in Libby Sunday watching the game with her dad.

“I’m very proud and not surprised she was chosen,” Schauer said. “She’s a rare kid and person. I’m proud of both her and her sister, Cassandra.”

Schauer met the girls’ father, Mike Petrofes, when Caitie was 2. The family settled in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Caitie graduated from La Cueva High School before embarking on her military career.

“The girls loved spending their summers in Libby and they also spent time here on spring break and during the holidays,” Schauer said. “She also participated in the Lincoln County Junior Fair. They love it here, it’s a magical place for them.”

Schauer said when Kenni Ann was diagnosed with cancer, Caitie “moved mountains to spend time with her here.”

Perkowski, a 2015 Annapolis graduate, pilots a F/A-18E fighter jet and has more than 600 hours of flight time under her belt. She is stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. She also received her Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University while completing flight training.

Her excitement for her work shined through in a press release provided by the Navy.

“The Navy lets me fly an F/A-18E every day!” Perkowski wrote. I’ve waved jets into the wires of an aircraft carrier, dropped live bombs and flown 100 feet over the desert at 575 miles per hour. I am grateful every day for the opportunity to fly and that I am able to defend my country.”

Schauer said the current plan for Sunday’s flyover has Caitie piloting her jet in the No. 4 position at the bottom of the diamond formation.

Perkowski had appointments to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and to the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Stanford, Rice and Notre Dame were also suitors, but a college visit to Annapolis sealed the deal.

“After visiting them, the search was over,” Schauer said.

Schauer said Caitie’s paternal grandfather, Tony Petrofes, retired from the U.S. Air Force and was a B-52 pilot. He flew his own civilian aircraft for the rest of his life. Mike is a Navy veteran and made a career in aviation.

The other significance of Sunday’s flyover is it will commemorate 50 years of women flying in the U.S. Navy.

According to information from the U.S. Navy, eight women began flight school at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, in 1973. One year later, six graduated and earned their “Wings of Gold.”

“They command aircraft carriers, carrier air wings, squadrons and missions to space,” according to a salute to female Navy fliers. “They fly and fight in all strike missions, hunt submarines, protect the integrity of our nuclear triad, supply essential cargo and personnel to every corner of the globe, and rescue those in distress at sea and ashore.”

For more information and historical timelines about women serving in the Navy, see https://www.navy.mil/50-Years-of-Women-Flying-in-the-Navy/.