Thunderbirds a Team Portrait

[Applause] over the mountains and deserts just north of Las Vegas there's a show in rehearsal a show that's been seen over the years by more than a quarter billion people the performers have included some of America's best fighter pilots they call themselves Thunderbirds and their stage is the sky [Music] [Music] what you're about to see is a story of Excellence teamwork and self motivation our hero were a group of unassuming men and women who are constantly striving to do their personal best this is a story of high-tech machines powerful and fast enough to fly at twice the speed of sound men and machines as a team they soar to the heights of their profession and represent the very best qualities of America's armed forces their dedication is as intense as the fire from their after burners and when all the teams talents are combined for an aerial demonstration they truly bring the legend of the Thunderbird to life riding 12 tons of thrust the Thunderbirds cut through the sky like their legendary namesake a birdlike creature that screamed across Indian folklore but god of lightning and thunder who assured success in war and that good would triumph over evil through the dedication of this Air Force Team the Thunderbird Legend lives on this summer over 20 million Americans will watch the Thunderbirds perform above their heads since the early 50s the team has appeared in over 50 foreign countries the Air Force calls them America's ambassadors in blue and presidents dating back to Dwight Eisenhower have used the Thunderbirds to represent the United States all around the world but as the pilots Focus their concentration on the aerial maneuvers there's little time for thoughts of the team's historic [Music] past during the next hour we're going to take an inside look at the United States Air Force Thunderbirds we'll see what it takes to be part of this Elite Squadron we'll go back in time for a rare look at Thunderbird teams of the past we'll meet the men and women who keep the planes flying and we'll learn about G forces as we ride in the cockpits with the pilots soon this Thunderbird team will perform the first air show of a 9-month demonstration season as a team they've been practicing for months as individuals they've been preparing all their lives [Music] all right uh so first Lo show at Nellis uh first Lo show at a strange site so you can see there are some uh little bit differences any comments on the takeoff after every Thunderbird demonstration the commander leader of the team who also flies the number one jet guides his fellow Pilots through a critique of their individual and team performance with comments from the squadron's logistics officer each maneuver from takeoff to Landing is discussed and evaluated every rehearsal and performance is videotaped for these extensive debriefing sessions the cameras were placed at show Center to ensure that the aerial routines look their best to the audience below timing is a critical factor for any performer especially when you're flying a high performance aircraft although there's some lighter moments it's obvious that the Thunderbird Pilots are their own toughest critics but overall I was uh I was pretty well pleased with the show today and U uh everybody did a pretty good job we'll uh go out this afternoon and do better any questions to fully appreciate the tradition behind the Thunderbirds let's briefly visit the squadron's museum at Nellis Air Force Space on public display are some of the tokens of recognition which have been given to the team by Civic groups private citizens and government dignitaries from all over the world through the years the team has been honored with the keys to numerous American and foreign cities to show his appreciation this gold and diamond citar was presented to the Thunderbirds by King Hassan II of Morocco handcrafted models and Gifts reflect the heartfelt admiration of inspired Americans the Thunderbirds have been the subject of literally hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles and the walls of the museum are covered with the photographs of every Thunderbird team from the past to the present they represent an impressive amount of flying Talent retired General dick cage commanded the first team flying the f84 in May of 1953 I was stationed at Luke Air Force Base as a squadron commander in May Luke received a directive from headquarters USAF to form a dedicated air demonstration team would dedicate the pilots air Crews and maintenance people to this mission after about 2 weeks of having the mission on the base I was selected as the leader of the first team in selecting a name for the team we decided to run a contest in the base new newpaper the name we actually selected was the stardusters and we used the name the stardusters for about one month and then our boss at command headquarters uh sent us a directive that said I don't like that name I'd like for you to name the team the Thunderbird since you're in the Phoenix area and that's legendary in that area the total team consisted of five demonstration Pilots uh one public information officer one maintenance officer and 30 maintenance Personnel for the aircraft at that time uh the team leader would uh select somebody tap him on the shoulder and ask him if he would like to be a Thunderbird it's quite a lengthy selection process today our routine the first one was conceptually different in that uh we decided to keep the show right over the airst strip all the time so we did about a 15minute demonstration with a constant 4G back pressure on the stick we were never out of side of the crowd we were we never flattened out we did our turns right from uh one maneuver to another 4G constantly uh we were we had no restrictions we were permitted to fly as low as we wanted to fly do anything we wanted to do so we had to practice self-discipline and uh we had a very good record despite the uh the lack of regulations and restrictions uh we had no accidents we did not scratch an airplane in 1956 the Thunderbirds began flying the world's first supersonic jet fighter the F-100 Super saber retired Colonel Hoot Gibson a combat Ace from the Korean War took the team South of the Border I was fortunate enough during my Tour on the Thunderburg to be able to take them to South and Central America we went to every country and I remember we flew in real deanera over Sugarloaf and we had over million people watch our show in Rio but one of the most memorable shows was the one we flew in Paraguay strar is the president of Paraguay and he asked me would we break the sound barrier and I said no that we could not break the sound barrier because it would break the windows out of the houses and do some damage which we didn't want to do we were there for Good Will and he said well what do I have to do to how far around the Airfield would it break the windows and I said 10 12 12 miles he said well I have them tape all the windows for a 12m radius of the airport and I want you to open the show supersonic so we did that the morning we went out to the Airfield I noticed that all the windows from the time we left the T the city of sunon to go to the airport all the windows were taped and we opened the show supersonic but when we landed the last 2,000 ft of Runway was covered with people so when I rolled down the runway and rolled into the crowd they just mve moved out of my way cuz I rolled in very slowly cuz I kept going till number six like called he' landed and had a good shoot and then I turned around and taxi back to show the security we had we landed on these airfields we parked our airplanes we left them set overnight we had no guards and we landed and crowds all came out to the Airfield just like they do here in the United States came out and gathered around the airplanes and we stood on the wings of the airplanes and signed our autographs and it was really a uh Goodwill tour which is was supposed to be and we think it created a lot of Goodwill good morning Las Vegas at 6:30 a.m. 55 chil degrees going all the way up this afternoon to the high 80s if you're driving to worko [Music] in 1956 the Thunderbirds moved from Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix Arizona to their present home in southern Nevada Nellis Air Force Base a high-tech Oasis perched in the sunbaked Mojave Desert the disciplined lifestyles of the people who work here contrast with the celebrated glamour of nearby Las Vegas at Nellis thousands of men and women go about the very serious business of America's defense this is one of the busiest military airbases in the world thousands of airmen have passed through Nellis over the years during World War II over 500 B17 crewmen were graduated from its Gunnery school every 5 weeks in the Korean War virtually every fighter pilot received his is combat training on the vast ranges that surround Nellis Air Force Bas today in addition to maintaining combat ready fighter squadrons Nellis also hosts training exercises that involve virtually every type of military aircraft the Army Navy Marines plus Allied Forces from around the globe also visit here for advanced schooling [Music] with access to over 3 and2 million Acres of ranges Nellis has evolved into a Mecca of Higher Learning for aerial combat not surprisingly it's come to be known as the home of the fighter pilot melis Air Force Base is the headquarters of the United States Air Force tactical fighter weapons Center and the home of red flag the most sophisticated most realistic aerial combat scenario in the world when a crew returns from a red flag exercise they often feel like they've actually been at War it's the home of the Tactical fighter weapons school the granddaddy of all other Top Gun schools Nellis home of the fighter pilot is also home of the United States Air Force Air demonstration Squadron known throughout the world as the Thunderbirds the emblem on the floor has a lot to do with pride and tradition it's been there for a long long time and uh it symbolizes the Thunderbirds for enlisted personnel volunteering for the team doesn't guarantee the right to wear the Thunderbird emblem or patch to earn that privilege they must pass a 21-day trial period it's a time when wouldbe team members learn by heart the Traditions that will bind them to their fellow Thunderbirds during the trial period you're in here an hour prior to anybody else um doing different Squadron details such as waxing and cleaning the patch on doing different brass items around polishing up brass sweeping floors just details that are supposed to be done before anybody else gets here the day I got patched it was pouring rain and really cold out there the wind was blowing and uh a lot of things are going to through my mind like when this salute uh what is going to ask me um just everything going through my mind you know what to say and what to do and when they asked me what the commander of the Blue Angels was and what what kind of aircraft we fly who makes it and what kind of support aircraft I knew the answer and I knew that I'd get it right it really felt good when a not patch successfully completes his trial period all the Thunderbirds gather for his patching ceremony a gesture of confirmation that the new member has earned the right to wear the Thunderbird emblem Chris Brown is now a Thunderbird get in the patch really means you know you're one of the team and uh it's a feeling you really can't explain [Music] I was looking ahead and I think that's what kept me going looking ahead knowing what was really out there never been with an organization or unit that has had the people that work together as a team and uh all one as a t- birds to took a lot of time a lot of studying but it's definitely worth it to get the patch as a fuel system specialist Airman Chris Brown is now part of an elite team each Air Force fighter is assigned a crew chief who is personally responsible for its mechanical operation keeping supersonic jet fighters in the air demands the talents of many people and countless hours of preparation go into each minute of an air show individual and group efforts form a team spirit that pays off in mutual trust and confidence in the air the Pilot's actions are enjoyed by thousands of Spectators below but the crowd rarely notices the work of the ground Crews who keep the planes flying Thunderbird Pilots don't perform the usual pre-flight checks that are standard procedure for all other Air Force pilots that's the responsibility of a Thunderbird crew chief I was always a little bit of a Tombo I could break things very easy and I got into a little bit of trying to build my own skateboards and things like that but I never dreamed that I'd work on aircraft now as far as Tech Sergeant Sue Mo began repairing Air Force jets in 1973 in those days it wasn't a typical career for a lady and I that was it was easy for my dad to accept that was he was very proud of that but it was difficult initially for my mother to accept you know her little girl was out there getting greasy and dirty and things like that and it was a real eye opener it taught me a lot of of what I could do myself my job as far as maintenance management is really if we don't do our jobs the air aircraft aren't going to fly the time change items on the seat are so critical because that's the only way the pilot has out if an AC or something should happen that ejects him out of the aircraft so if one of these items should be overdue or they don't work they've malfunctioned because it has been installed in the aircraft for too long and we didn't catch that then yes if if something should happen to the pilot that he couldn't get out of the aircraft they could look at us and say all right it's extremely critical and our job is very very important to the safety of the Air Cruise the F-16 is capable of Maneuvers far beyond the tolerance of human endurance when a pilot puts an aircraft into a tight turn the laws of physics try to pull the blood from his upper body during these high G Maneuvers a 160 lb person can effectively weigh over 1,000 lb these physical demands on a fighter pilot can be overwhelming to best explain g-forces Let's Take a Ride on one of America's toprated roller coasters the Thunderbolt located at Pittsburgh's Kennywood park as the coaster crests the top of a hill Riders feel the hollow sensation of partial weightlessness or a GeForce of almost zero when the roller coaster enters a steep Bank Riders experience momentary forces of about three G's now imagine controlling a jet 6 ft away from another aircraft under a constant pressure of 4 to6 G's to become a demonstration pilot is what we call a special Duty assignment in the Air Force you had to be a volunteer for it when Captain KY scow of Wilmore Minnesota volunteered for the Thunderbirds he was an instructor assigned to an F5 Squadron although he had logged over 1,800 hours in high performance Jets and had graduated his top gun from The Fighter weapons instructor course he had never actually piloted an F-16 realized they only get one maybe two shots at it at the Flying so they're going to be they're going to be a little bit nervous KC it's for you the captain was participating in a red flag exercise at Nellis when he got an unexpected call from the commander leader of the Thunderbirds yes sir I can be the right away his evaluation flight with the team had been moved up as he walked along the flight line he was more than just a little nervous it's like having your driving skills tested in a car you've never driven tenden see you're pushing on the left will tend to break that Wing to the left okay so just straight on back and just tell them to uh to fly the best they can after all every time we go out and public you're going to have some pressure on you Captain scow passed his evaluation but the final decision of who flies with the Thunderbirds is made 2400 Mi to the east East at Langley Air Force Base the headquarters of Tactical Air Command well ultimately I'm responsible to select not only the leader but all the members of the Thunderbird team and I do that uh very carefully there are lots of applicants uh there's a lot of people who would like to be the leader and commander of the Thunderbirds but being a commander demands more than just having the ability to fly an airplane very well it demands that the individual uh be able to run the organization and lead not necessarily manage as I tell my people we lead people and we manage things so I need a leader I need a dynamic leader a charismatic leader I need one who's articulate I need one above all who has the highest integrity and those are the things that I look for when I select that leader [Music] it's a special day at Nellis Air Force Bas in a few minutes all runways will close while the Thunderbirds perform their final practice before the first scheduled air show of the [Music] Season technically it's a practice but every team member performs as though a 100,000 fans are [Music] watching in Just 2 days the team will fly to Tucson Arizona to kick off the first of more than 75 air [Music] shows emotions run High not unlike those of a sports team taking the field before a big game [Music] what [Music] as the planes begin to taxi to the runway the pilots give the traditional Air Force thumbs up Salute to their fellow team [Music] members this year the Air Show schedule will separate the from their families and loved ones from late March until early November it's all part of the job it's all part of being a Thunderbird sometimes I wish he had a a typical if there is a typical job um like in the outside world it there are times especially weekends weekends that gets when you see other people out with their families especially Sundays and he's never home on Sunday I wish that he had a typical job but he wouldn't be happy and so it wouldn't be worth it you have to remember the person that's back home cuz we're we're gone 200 days a year we're on the road we're sometimes we stay at nice hotel sometimes we get treated very favorably and the wife is back home she's she's got the kids the uh the car is broken down the toilet backs up uh you know she gets a crank phone call and she really has it a lot harder than we do I think Roger has always kept his priorities straight it's hard he doesn't have nearly as much time to spend with us as he used to but I think his priorities are the same in keeping the families together and having us maximize our time together this is be our last weekend one more weekend then uh I'm on the road another difficult aspect of the job is uh missing out on the family activities we're going to Tucson gu where you were born remember that yeah you do well good good memory we're gone 200 days and I have two young sons that uh require some of my attention and so it's it's difficult to leave them behind and uh miss out on the soccer practices and the baseball practice and and things where a father and son would normally do uh you miss that on that for a couple years so when you are home you try to to make the best of that as you can you try to get out there and uh play catch with them or or kick the soccer ball around with them or or help them out with their homework or try to take some of those duties that uh my wife would normally do when I'm at home and I try to take up those when I'm at home uh help them with the homework and that kind of thing when I was uh trying out for this job um I didn't go out and try out for it without asking my wife first she basically said well you know it's going to be a hard time for us uh it's going to be some sacrifice but it's one of those opportunities that very few people get to do so press ahead and go ahead and do it and uh and that's what we're doing and uh so far we've been uh hanging in there and uh doing pretty good and got one more year left and uh then after that it's all behind you and it's just something you can look back upon the one he was working um in his staff job he was not happy he's happy flying and so I'd rather him have a job like and there's always the constellation that it's only for 2 years whereas a lot of people have jobs like that and they're always gone so I have two years to return to normal Thunder one tax hold Runway three right Thunderbird one Thunder Bird departure Pro change should departure the winds come clear takeoff Runway three right 47 stand by you're on thunder birds check up the throttles are pushed forward the brakes are released all right the final practice session begins for 30 minutes the sky over Nellis Air Force Space Comes Alive as the 6 f-16s perform their aerial ballet [Music] oh [Music] w [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] as the Jet's taxi home In the Heat of the Nevada Sun the commander leader knows his p pilots and crews are prepared for the demanding schedule that lies ahead after 3 months of gruelling practice this Thunderbird team is ready to carry on the tradition in our organization we work anywhere between 12 16 hours a day we work until the job is done so there's really no no such thing as overtime In the Heat of the Desert Sun the temperature inside the Thunderbird hanger off climbs to over 100° but the work goes on this aircraft is scheduled to fly to Tucson in less than 12 hours and if it means working all night it will leave on time a sophisticated fighter like the F-16 is actually a marriage of computers pneumatics Hydraulics Electronics fuel systems miles of wire and one very powerful engine all the parts must function in Perfect Harmony after every 15 hours of flight the plane must undergo a phase inspection the entire plane is literally disassembled all the access panels are removed and every part of the aircraft is critically inspected certain parts of the F-16 are designated as time change items this means they must be replaced after a specific number of flight hours just like commercial airliners military Fighters are constantly being updated and modified to enhance their safety and reliability to produce the white smoke Trail that's part of the air show demonstration each of the team's f-16s are modified with a 50-gal tank that's filled with smoke oil a high-pressure pump controlled by the pilot forces this fine oil into the hot exhaust of the engine although each member of the Thunderbird maintenance crew has a specific responsibility everyone chips in to expedite the phase inspection It's Not Unusual to see an engine specialist assisting with the installation of a flight control computer or a radar technician helping to change a hydraulic actuator if there was ever a serious National Emergency within 48 Hours This Crew would have the demonstration aircraft restored St to combat ready status military gray would replace the fancy red white and blue paint Scheme when these technicians complete their 2-year Tour of Duty with the team they'll share their experiences as Thunderbirds with Air Force Squadron stationed all over the world the Thunderbird crew has the right to be proud of its work since the team was formed over three decades ago there has never been a performance cancelled or curtailed for maintenance reasons well when I was little believe it or not I was afraid of flying I used to go flying with one of my dad's friends and I used to hold on for dear life Captain Bert Nelson the team's narrator also flies media flights in the two- seat B model F-16 like the other Pilots Bert spends some of his time corresponding with young people who write to the Thunderbird Squadron well I I think the kids look up to us because what we do is exciting we uh interact with them a lot on the road we get to go see him sometimes in kids hospitals we get to talk to them we obviously get a lot of them in the crowd line and uh we get letters from them here in the Squadron some of them just asking about what the flying's like or what we do here some people asking for pictures they're pretty important to all of us really they uh they're the future for the Air Force and for the country and uh when we interact with them obviously we're trying to set a good example for them uh maybe it's a role model for them to look up to someday we can affect their lives in a lot of ways by setting this good example and and telling them a little bit about our job how do how do you put these straps okay when we go out to fly we have a harness that we wear and it's got a couple Clips on the top of it there's one on each side that goes over our shoulders and that's what Hooks us into the ejection seat it's like a little TV screen but it's our Radar talking about want to see the engine back there where all the thrust comes from they ask what it's like to fly in the airplanes sometimes what it's like to work around the Thunderbird Squadron talking to we can tell them the ways we get here it just doesn't happen overnight that you get here but what we have to remember is you got to do the best you can at whatever you're doing and eventually you keep working and hopefully you'll achieve the goal that you've set you've set for yourself well our mission the mission of the Thunderbirds basically is to to go out and show uh people who don't get that much chance to interface with the military we take the Air Force to them and we show them what we can do we show them the pride and professionalism that the military person can have in his job the Precision formation that we can fly and what we can do with our military equipment the capabilities do we have and the people are are very very favorably impressed and we get very little negative reaction and there's always that concern over the money you know is this costing me money well you can look at it in a couple ways uh these airplanes are already bought they're paid for if we weren't flying Thunderbirds painted red white and blue we'd be flying f-16s painted gray so what we're doing is taking little added expense as far as painting them and the uh taking them out in the road and showing them to the public while still maintaining that combat capable status my first interest in flying was I was influenced by my father who was a pilot he was in the Air Force for 24 years and I I guess the first time I remember uh about flying or him flying I I remember I was just a kid and I was at the swimming pool we were stationed at Hollman Air Force Base and I was in the swimming pool splashing around I was about four or 5 years old and and here comes this airplane flying upside down over the swimming pool and of course it's my dad he he's kind of showing off and so that's kind of my first experience although we can't get away with things like that these days but back in those days you could in 1969 the Thunderbirds began flying the powerful F4 phantom for a period of several years the Navy's Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds flew the same type of aircraft retired General Thomas swam commanded the team from 1969 to 71 the F4 of course was a was a an anomaly uh at that time uh in in aviation um Laurels it was a very powerful airplane it's the first time we we came along with an airplane that would could maneuver as well uh and and and do the things that uh that we were able to put in in Air Show uh from a power perspective so much easier than we could uh in the past also of course it was the airplane that was uh probably getting as much attention as any in Vietnam it was an airplane the Air Force relied on very heavily for both its air superiority Mission and uh and also it's uh it's air to ground mission delivering ordinance for our own US Army so um a great airplane and one that uh I think a lot of people wanted to see uh in the air show environment in those years uh 19771 72 and 73 as the Vietnam War was drawing down and of course uh the F4 has toan down history is as being uh the aircraft that flew not only the best air show but the loudest the F4 also consumed a lot of fuel and during the energy crisis of 1974 the Thunderbird switched to the fuel efficient t38 trainer this was the first time that the Thunderbird team had gone from a Frontline fighter if you will to uh a trainer type aircraft also every single Air Force pilot uh could relate to the t38 because uh uh in those days uh as we still do today all Air Force pilots flew the t38 as part of their basic pilot training some of the disadvantages of the airplane it was uh it didn't have uh all the power that we would like for it to have and Performing the aerial maneuvers that the demonstration required it uh it ALS so did not have air refueling capability so that meant when we went from NIS Air Force Base our home to the east coast it required three hops which made a very long day out of it just getting around and it also limited us essentially to the continental US the Thunderbird team has a tradition of excellence and uh trying very very much to perfect everything they do uh feeling was that we knew we would never fly that perfect air show but we always tried this is News Center 9 with guy achley Stephanie white weather with Robin Zimmerman and sports with Dave silver what's it like to fly with the Thunderbirds the Air Force flying team is in town for a couple of shows this weekend and they picked a member of the media to experience the ultimate roller coaster ride our Margarita Zavala is the one they chose and here is her story the Thunderbirds arrive in Tucson the day before The Season's first scheduled Air Show first on the agenda is a media flight with a local news anchor woman before she takes off Margarita zala must go through an hour of training and familiarization that would be critically important in the unlikely event of an inflight emergency so now the next thing is going to happen is she's going to be fitted by Sergeant shenberg uh with the git and the helmet and the mask that she's going to wear he's going to do a quick fitting to get it all uh rigged up for so what this is going to do it's going to press so hard against your lower extremities there's like air bladders in there and what it'll do is force that butt back up into your head good and it'll keep you from passing out it's good inent the blood would rush out of my head the Thunderbirds promote the Air Force by doing media flights the team and their upcoming Air Show receive coverage on local television newscast okay Mar first do let sign some papers here just so you don't hold Lance to blame here for anything and uh uh actually this is ement for you want to get you uh into the air force here we're going to climb to about 177,000 ft feel your git inflate around you and you you'll feel that feeling that you get when you uh have you ever ridden the hammer at the uh the carnival I try to stay away from you try to stay away from those well we're not going to be too tough on you but we'll do this [Music] one in less than 20 minutes anchorwoman Margarita zala is taxiing for takeoff and the Air Force is on television don't ask me why I ever agreed to do call it stupid call it Brave just call it over fast okay release brakes power right on up okay now I'm stting the After Burner feel that sort of kick in the pants there that's the burner kicking in what a thrill we climbed 177,000 ft in 20 seconds pulling in three G's I could feel my git inflight squeezing my lower body so the blood could stay in my brain instead of rushing to my feet in the middle of the desert we did Maneuvers called lazy eights whiffer deals and rolls any way you call it I was upside down most of the time one of the highlights of this Unforgettable ride was when Captain UNAM let me fly the plane my once in a lifetime thrill was over in less than an hour and just for the record yes I did get sick but I also had the time of my life Margarita salala News Center 9 it's 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning today is the first scheduled air show of the Season at dawn the Thunderbird crew is already at work preparing for the afternoon's Main Event Tucson is one of the earliest scheduled air shows of the season and its proximity to Nellis makes it an ideal Shakedown Cruise although Davis Mountain Air Force Base is a modern fighter training center it's best known as the storage center for obsolete aircraft these proud planes have outlived their usefulness to America's military they've been replaced with newer ones that fly higher faster and farther over 3,000 of these old war birds sit in the dry Arizona air at Davis Monon some will be used for spare parts others await their final flight as a pilotless drone a target for today's Advanced Weaponry there's a feeling of excitement in the air as the crowd pours into the base and it's not just the plains it's a beautiful day to spend in the sunshine with the entire family a day to see and touch aircraft that most people only get to read about in books and magazines a performance by the Thunderbirds always attracts a huge audience and today is no exception over a 100,000 people are on hand to see the team's first official air show of the Season men women boys girls the crowds a true cross-section of America all right let's get going here the Thunderbirds Are Always the grand finale of an air show while the acts that preed them perform for the crowds the officers of the team meet for a final pre-flight briefing with over 100,000 Spectators nothing can be left to chance questions all aspects of the upcoming demonstration are reviewed the logistics officer a logi reports on wind conditions above the field the pilots review safety procedures safe ejection areas are memorized hav a board on the runway for the unlikely event of a flame out at low altitudes let's make it a good safe one remember uh there is no pressure to uh to complete a maneuver that's not set up properly aboard the maneuver a lot of people will be watching us and are cheering for us so let's make it a good safe one and GL to do a good one all right good afternoon ladies and gentlemen welcome to 30 minutes of thir foris fly by America's Premier aerial demonstration team the United States Air Force Thunder for some 37 years now this team Tak of the Air Force St [Applause] American all eyes are on the Thunderbird Pilots as the last 3 months of practice and all the team effort are about to be tested the Thunderbirds Are a military Squadron performing at a military base but the FAA has jurisdiction because civilians are present the FAA monitored the show for both the uh show line and the fact that nobody's out there and for the air show itself that nothing gets too loose or uh too low or any of that [Music] sort as the team takes off in full After Burner each of the Jets develops over 24,000 lb of thrust translated into horsepower each F-16 is more powerful than five diesel locomotives the commander leader lines the Thunderbirds up to the first pass by the crowd the traditional four ship Diamond to keep the show at a fast moving Pace whenever the formation exits show Center the number five and six Jets perform their exciting solos this maneuver looks like fun but it's actually performed to demonstrate a pilot's ability to control a high performance aircraft at near minimum controllable air speeds there's never more than a few seconds between Maneuvers during the demonstration the pilots fly along an imaginary show line for safety reasons the show line is at least 1500 ft away from the crowd line and those distances are carefully monitor for obvious reasons the Thunderbirds don't break the sound barrier during their Air Show demonstration but on some of the solo maners the speed is very close did the earth bound crowd many of the routines look like spectacular Daredevil stuns but they're actually part of every Air Force Pilot's training the Thunderbirds just fly them lower and [Music] Tighter they call this the crossover break and to the startled Spectators it looks like the Jets were flying side by [Music] [Applause] side some of the simplest Maneuvers like this slow roll are the hardest to perfect several times during the performance all six Jets joined together for breathtaking examples of formation flight the grand finale of the air show is the bomb burst and it's a Thunderbird trademark as the for ship Diamond splits apart in a vertical climb each pilot heads to a different compass point the solo pilot spirals through the center from the ground the smoke Trails look like the pedals of a giant flower with careful timing and critical altitude separation the Jets appear to just miss each other the crossover [Music] [Applause] 40 minutes after engine start the first air show of the season is over 5 minutes later the 6 f-16s are back on Earth when the men and women of the Thunderbird team joined the military they never thought they'd be heroes but they are because they're not just Thunderbirds they're representatives of the 600,000 men and women who serve their country in the United States Air [Applause] [Music] [Music] Force hello how are you today great a great show well we enjoy doing it there you go you're wel I position I watched you very carefully my eye on how you doing your favorite maneuver what your favorite thing you did today one of thoseo yall from tucon [Music] here is that all right all thect come on the team at least ,000 already get I know have all night to work it out [Music] I'd like what school do you go to how does the South Point fight s go you saying [Music] for not even [Music] preed yeah you get the real workers in here I'm telling you we don't go anywhere without these guys e [Music]

Channel: Glenn Przyborski

Views: 40,346

Keywords: Thunderbirds, USAF, Thunderbirds a Team Portrait, airshow, F-16, Jet Team, documentary, military aviation, Przyborski Productions, Glenn Przyborski

Id: DXGfc0sCuGs

Length: 53min 7sec (3187 seconds)

Published: Sat May 14 2016