U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds History

How it all began...

As anyone in business knows, if you have a good product, you show it off. You show it at its best and by the best operators that you have. So it was, in May 1953, that the U.S. Air Force took its best pilots and first line jet fighters and created a demonstration team to show the public what first line jet aircraft were and how routinely trained men of the United States Air Force could fly them.

The 3600th Air Demonstration Team was declared operational on June 1, 1953, although the team itself had been together and practicing for about 6 weeks prior. At this time the team had no name. There already were the Sky-Blazers, Blue Angels, Acrojets, and now the 3600th Air Demonstration Team? This just wouldn't do. During June 1953, a contest was held at Luke AFB, home of the 3600th, to pick a name for the new team. The name chosen was "Thunderbirds".

The selection of the name Thunderbirds was influenced in part, by the strong, regional Indian culture and folklore of the southwestern United States, where Luke AFB is located. The Thunderbird is widely mentioned in Indian folklore, from Mexico to as far north as Alaska. The Algonquins, Sioux, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, and Arapaho all know of the Thunderbird. Indian legend has it that thunder and lightning were caused by these great birds; thunder by the flapping of their giant wings, and lightning by the opening and closing of the birds' eyes. Thunderstorms were said to be battles between great birds and predatory monsters. Thus in the Indian mind was developed the idea that this "good" deity was battling evil, or the traditional conflict of light over darkness.

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The 1950's

The first Thunderbirds team was handpicked from the cadre at Luke AFB, home of the Air Force Advanced Flight Training School. Maj. Dick Catledge was chosen as the team leader. Captains Bill and Buck Patillo, twins, would fly left and right wing, respectively. They were ideal choices as both had been with the Skyblazers, a U.S. Air Force/Europe demonstration team.

The slot pilot would be Capt. Bob Kanaga, an instructor at Luke. The spare and solo pilot when it was added later, he would be 1st Lt. Bob "Mac" McCormick, who had flown with the "Sabre Dancers" and had 100 missions to his credit over Korea. 1st Lt. A.D. Brown would serve as maintenance officer for the team.

The first Thunderbird line chief was MSgt. Earl Young. Aircraft maintenance is of the utmost importance, as the Thunderbirds have never aborted a show due to a maintenance problem. It was also the first team of Thunderbirds that designed the team emblem. All these things were done within a few months after inception. The first show was put on one month after the beginning of training on June 8, 1953, at Luke AFB. The fourth official show was put on for the graduating class of pilots and the last official act of Gen. Hoyt Vandenberg, then Air Force Chief of Staff.

The debut at a civil affair was during Frontier Days at Cheyenne, Wy. By August 1953, less than 90 days after inception, the team had flown 26 shows. The first show before a really big audience was Sept. 5-7, 1953, at the Dayton Aircraft Show, where 400,000 people were in the audience. By the end of their first season, the Thunderbirds had flown 50 shows.

The 1954 team, Maj. Catledge - leader, Capt. Bill Creech - right wing, Capt. Bert Spalding - left wing, 1st Lt. Bob "Mac" McCormick in the slot, and 1st Lt. A.D. Brown flying solo, began its second year with an eleven-nation tour of South America in January of 1954. It was after this tour that the Air Training Command emblem was removed from both sides of the fuselage. In its place on the left fuselage appeared the flags of the 11 nations visited on the tour. The U.S. Flag was added for symmetry. The right fuselage bore the new Thunderbird emblem with the word LUKE stenciled above it. The flags were originally painted directly onto the metal finish, but by 1954, they had been placed in a white panel, later outlined in blue. The aircraft were individually numbered at this time with a small white digit on the small forward nose gear door.

The tour of the South American countries was the highlight of 1954 with huge crowds at every show - 300,000 at the Mexico City Airport with 1,200,000 on the surrounding hills; 250,000 at Santiago, Chile; 250,000 at Montevideo, Uruguay; and 500,000 at Havana, Cuba. The Thunderbirds returned home and got ready for the Armed Forces Day show at Bolling Field in the nation's capital. They made their entrance over the crowd of 300,000 "on the deck" at about 600 mph. To say the crowd was stunned is an understatement. Everyone "hit the dirt".

Highlights of the 1954 season included the U.S. Air Force Worldwide Gunnery Meet, dedication of San Francisco International Airport, the National Aircraft Show at Dayton, and the Air Force Association convention, where the Thunderbirds were presented the "Citation of Honor" for public service.

Early in 1955, the Thunderbirds decided to switch from their trusty F-84Gs to a more modern, front-line aircraft. This was in keeping with official Air Force policy to demonstrate the capabilities of our front-line fighters to the public and the world. After consulting with Air Force officials, it was decided to go to the swept wing Republic F-84F "Thunderstreak."

Wasting no time, the Air Force allocated 6 brand new F-84Fs from Republic's Farmingdale, N.Y., factory. In April 1955, the Thunderbirds inspected their newly painted aircraft at the factory. One week later, they flew their first show in the F-84F at Luke AFB, Ariz. These were not the first F-84Fs flown by the Thunderbirds. In late '54, early '55, a batch of F-84Fs were assigned to them, but never flew a demonstration.

F-84F markings were quite similar to those on the F-84Gs. The several differences between them included a new flag panel, block style lettering, and movement of the serial number onto the aft fuselage. Having no tip tanks, the wingtips were striped red, white, and blue. Small numbers, 1 thru 6, were added to the small forward-facing nose door and the gun ports were plugged. Again, all standard stenciling was carried and the aircraft had olive drab anti-glare panels. The Thunderbird insignia was carried on the starboard fuselage with "LUKE" above it. The F-84F was the first aircraft to use the red, white, and blue drag chute. All Thunderbird demonstration aircraft have used it except the F-84G, T-38, and F-16.

The Armed Forces Day show at Bolling Field, D.C., on May 19, 1956, was the 91st and last show done in the F-84F. The transition to the F-100C opened a new era in the air show business: the World's First Supersonic Air Demonstration Team. Transitioning into the F-100Cs meant many new things: supersonic capabilities, new maneuvers, and a move to Nellis AFB, Nev. The move to Nellis was made to simplify logistics and maintenance support of the team.

The original F-100Cs assigned to the Thunderbirds had many changes between them and combat-ready F-100s. The autopilot function of the automatic flight control system was inactivated, but the pitch and yaw dampers remained. Slot aircraft had stab antenna moved to the underside of the nose and the stab leading edge was replaced with one in stainless steel. A VHF radio system was added. The armament system was modified thusly: A-4 gun sight removed, radar-ranging system removed and nose radome covered with a steel plate, and the gun camera removed. The aft fuselage fuel tank would carry the smoke oil at shows or carry fuel on long hops. The smoke oil was compatible with JP-4. The F-100C paint scheme was very similar to the previous F-84F style scheme. Red, white, and blue scallops on the nose, striped wing tips, and Thunderbird motif on vertical and horizontal tail surfaces. The serial number was located on the rear fuselage. The gun ports were faired over and the pitot boom painted red with a single white band about midway through its length. The Thunderbird insignia was on the starboard fuselage with NELLIS, not LUKE, stenciled above it. The word NELLIS was now included in the emblem instead of being separate from it. The flag panel was the same as on the F-84F and carried on the port fuselage, under the canopy.

The Supersonic Thunderbirds of 1956 were as follows: Maj. Jack Broughton - lead, Lt. Bob Anderson - left wing, Lt. Bill Ellis - right wing, Capt. Ed "Lucky" Palmgren - slot, Lt. Bill Pogue - solo, and Capt. Paul Ross - solo/spare. This team changed the entire show to suit the capabilities of the F-100Cs. The effect on the demonstration sequence itself was dramatic. Gone now was the graceful Cuban 8 opener, replaced by the spectacular maximum performance takeoff and high speed solo pass.

The pass would include cutting in and out of the afterburner, a practice originating after the solo did same to clear a flock of birds from the show line. A great crowd pleaser, it soon became a regular part of the show. Inevitably, the next step was the supersonic pass. Although never a routine part of the Thunderbirds show, the solo would go supersonic if the show sponsor so desired. Eventually the Federal Aviation Authority banned all supersonic flight at air shows and today's sequence is entirely subsonic. In 1957, the team's pilots were: Maj. Robby Robinson - leader, Capts. Bill Bartley and Doug Brenner on the wings, Lt. Bill Pogue - slot, Capt. Bob McIntosh - spare, and Capt. Sam Johnson - solo. That year they visited Bermuda and Canada for the first time. These two countries started a fourth row of flags, which was completed with the reinstatement of the U.S. Flag and addition of Puerto Rico. 1957 saw the implementation of the "low bomb burst" flown when weather precluded the normal vertical bomb burst. The solo routine now included a behind-the-crowd pass, known later as the "Sneaky Pete Pass".

The team for 1958 - Maj. Robinson, Capts. Bob McIntosh and Homer Whitlow on wing, Capt. Sam Johnson - slot, and Capt. C.D. "Fish" Salmon - solo, would add two significant markings to the aircraft. First, the team was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (OUA) and this ribbon was placed on the starboard side directly under the Thunderbird emblem. And second, late in the year, the now famous stylized Thunderbird was added to the underside of the aircraft. Originally outlined in natural metal only, in 1960 it was outlined in white. Capt. Gayle Williams, flying wing was added later in the year.

Also in 1958, the team turned in their venerable old C-119Fs and acquired 2 Fairchild C-123B Providers. Their original paint scheme was overall natural metal with red, white, and blue nose scallops. The appropriate flag panel was carried on the port fuselage, above the first main cabin window. The Thunderbird emblem was on the starboard fuselage, but forward of the window and without the home base, NELLIS, stenciled above. The Thunderbirds logo was curved on the rear fuselage, both sides, in script form, al a the T-33. The standard Starduster motif covered the empennage, the red scallop descending straight to the fuselage and following the dorsal strake.

Engine cowls and wing tanks also were scalloped. Wingtips and prop tips were striped red, white, and blue. In 1959, the team - Maj. Bob Fitzgerald was now the leader, Capt. Gayle Williams - left wing, Capt. Chuck Maultsby - right wing, Capt. Neil Eddins - slot, and Capt. Herman Griffin - solo - made its first deployment to the Far East. As the team's F-100Cs did not possess in-flight refueling capabilities, the team was airlifted to Okinawa by C-97 - minus aircraft. An advance party had prepared some F-100Ds that were assigned to the 18th TFW.

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The 1960's

The team for the 1960 season was Maj. Fitzgerald, Capt. Janca, Capt. Eddins, Capt. Griffin, and moving in on right wing - Capt. Robert Cass. The team's F-100Cs had undergone IRAN (Inspect and Repair As Necessary) and were modified for in-flight refueling. A straight boom, striped red and white, was added to the starboard wing leading edge. The flag panel was rearranged at this time into 3 rows of six and 1 of four.

In July 1960, the team deployed to Alaska for the first time, this flag being added to the row of four. By now, it had become common practice to allow the vertical stabilizer of the slot aircraft to blacken from the leader's exhaust. The fuselage was carefully cleaned up to the fin / fuselage juncture and gave widespread belief that the fin was painted black. It never was. The 1961 team: Maj."Hoot" Gibson - leader, Capt. W. Hosmer - left wing, Capt. Robert Bell - slot, and Capt. Gerald Larson - solo, joined the leftover Capt. Robert Cass - right wing for the new season. Another South American tour netted 6 new flags to the panel, which ended 1961 with 4 rows of eight flags each.

The arrowhead formation was added to the show, which now lasted 23 minutes. The entry for the arrowhead loop, combined with the solo's exit from the reverse - Cuban 8, produced what remains today as the biggest gasp-getter from the crowd's viewpoint: the collision effect. The solo, traditionally the high performance showman, now demonstrated low speed characteristics with the "wing-walk and roll". 1961 also saw the end of one of the team's most famous aerobatic maneuvers, the vertical bank - 360-degree turn because the FAA banned any aerobatic maneuver that pointed the nose of the aircraft at the crowd.

In 1962, airlift responsibilities were assumed by MATS C-130s. None of the C-130s were ever painted in the manner of the C-119/C-123s; however, on one occasion, the Thunderbirds requested the reassignment of a crew with which they had a special rapport. The aircraft was marked with the Thunderbird emblem and the number 14. These markings were reportedly removed as soon as the crew and aircraft rejoined their unit. The C-54 also contributed to "airlift" in 1962, but it was reassigned in 1963.

1962 will always be regarded as one of the landmark milestones in the team's history. 1962 had Lt. Col. W. Alden as the Thunderbird commander, Maj. "Hoot" Gibson - leader, with Capts. Hosmer, Bell, and Larson remaining from 1961. New members included Capt. Ralph Brooks on right wing, and Capt. Robert Moore as the second solo pilot. Dual solos - the dual solo concept provided the most spectacular and exciting show the public had yet seen. The decision to go to dual solos came about in July 1961, and the new pilot and aircraft were assigned by November 1961.

Following the diamond takeoff, the dual solos took off line abreast and, once the gear was up, at minimum altitude and wingtip to wingtip, they rolled simultaneously in opposite directions. They followed this with an opposing afterburner pass followed immediately by the Diamond entry over the crowd. An attention-getter like you wouldn't believe! Other new maneuvers included the opposing - Cuban 8s, opposing loops, and opposing aileron rolls. It was a new height in air show spectaculars. In 1962 the flag panel grew from 26 to 32 flags and contained, for the first and only time, the flag of the United Nations. The blue border around the flag was removed in 1962.

1963 saw an almost entirely new team, only Lt. Col. Alden - commander, and Capt. Moore - solo were 1962 holdovers. 1963 marked the return of the 1955-56 slotman Ed "Lucky" Palmgren, this time as a major and leader of the Thunderbirds. Capts. Jerry Shockley and Bill Higgenbotham flew left and right wing, Maj. Paul Kauttu - slot, and Capt. Ron Catton as the second solo.

May of 1963 saw the team's first European deployment. It was "Operation Grand Play" and nine new countries were visited. Portugal, Libya, France, England, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Surinam were all shown the hows and whys of the "World's Best Aerobatic Team". Again and again, air refueling was used in the rapid movements from country to country, show site to show site.

On December 17, 1963, the 690th and last F-100C show was performed. 1964 would bring transition into the F-105B "Thunderchief." Aircraft marking changes for the year 1963 included the "NELLIS" on the Thunderbird insignia changed to "U.S. Air Force", pilot and crew chief name panels now had red, white, and blue scallops on each end. By late 1963, a new 40 flag panel adorned the F-100Cs along with an oak leaf cluster to their outstanding unit award ribbon.

1964 brought a new team along with a new aircraft. The new team was Maj. Paul Kauttu - commander - leader, Capt. Bill Higgenbotham - right wing, Capt. Charlie Hamm - left wing, Capt. Jerry Shockley in the slot, and Capts. Ron Catton and Clarence Langerud flying solo. This team's transition into the big F-105Bs went off smooth as glass. Six official air shows were flown in the F-105s before an unfortunate accident, in May 1964 involving Capt. Gene Devlin, grounded the team. It was determined that additional modifications to the aircraft would be necessary. Rather than cancel the entire season, a decision was made to transition immediately to the F-100D.

The 1965 team was composed of Lt. Col. Ralph Maglione - commander/leader, Capt. Hamm on left wing and newcomer Capt. Buster McGee on right wing, Capt. Hank Canterbury took over the slot, with Capt. Robert Morgan joining Capt. Langerud as solo pilots. 1965 saw the team tour the Caribbean, visiting Barbados and the Netherlands Antilles for the first time. These countries' flags were not added to the flag panel at the time. Later in the year, Operation Big Wing took the Thunderbirds to Europe for the second time. 22 demonstrations and 27 days later, the team had added Turkey, Belgium, and Greece to the countries that had now seen them perform. Operation Easy Road took the team back to Latin America for a 16-day deployment. Altogether, 23 countries were visited during the 121 show schedule. Over 7 million people cheered them on. The team's 1000th demonstration was flown at Waukegan, Illinois, in 1965.

For the 1966 season, the team added Capt. Chris Patterakis on left wing and Capt. Bob Beckel as one of the solo pilots. The rest of the team remained unchanged. The new 45 flag panel was instituted by adding a ninth column.

The 1967 team saw another Thunderbird alumni return. Neil Eddins, now a major, became the new commander/leader. Capt. Patterakis returned at left wing and Capt. Beckel at solo. New faces were Maj. Stan Musser on right wing, Capt. Jack Dickey in the slot, and Majors Mike Miller and Tony McPeak flew solo. Operation "Big Wing II" was the team's third trip to the European continent, where they performed 15 shows in 5 different countries. To meet a show deadline at the Air Force Academy, the team flew nonstop from Paris to Colorado Springs, a trip of some 7,000 miles. It took 13 hours, 40 minutes, and 7 refuelings to do it.

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The 1970's

A new team was introduced in 1970 as Lt. Col. Tom Swalm took over as commander/leader, Majors Bob Jackson and Doyle Ruff flew left and right wing, respectively, Capt. Tom Gibbs in the slot, and Maj. Mike Kerby as solo. The team deployed again to South America, Canada, and the Caribbean with 1,400,000 jamming Francisco de Maranda Air Field for a 2-day show.

1971 saw Maj. Joe Howard take over the right wing and Capt. Steve Dwelle the solo. A 30-day tour of the European continent broke all previous European attendance marks, as the Thunderbirds in one day at Paris equaled the entire attendance record of the 1967 tour. The team performed 114 shows, 7 short of the 1965 record, and had 9 shows canceled because of weather. The beginning of the third Thunderbird decade saw an almost completely new team taking to the air. The commander/leader was Lt. Col. Roger Parrish, on left wing was Maj. Rip Blaisdell with Maj. Nels, Running back on left wing, Capt. Tim Roels was in the slot and Capt. Kirk Brimmer flew solo. The Ambassadors In Blue flew 97 air shows before more than 12 million spectators, a new single year attendance record, and made over 350 public appearances, including another Latin America tour, in 200 days. The November 10, 1973 show at New Orleans, La., was the last of 518 demonstrations in the F-4E before the energy crisis grounded the team.

The decision was made to transition to a smaller and more economical aircraft, the Northrop T-38A Talon. The T-38 would be the 7th demonstration aircraft the Thunderbirds would fly.

Although not as big and loud as the impressive F-4E, the T-38 had some advantages of its own. It was able to turn around between maneuvers much quicker and in less distance than the F-4E, thus offsetting its small size somewhat. Less personnel and equipment were required to maintain the T-38s. Fuel economy was greatly increased, with the EPA folks rating five T-38s equal to one F-4E in environmental tests. Its roll rate was phenomenal and tailor-made for maneuvers like the "wing walk" and maximum performance aileron rolls. The "Bon Ton Roulle", where the entire diamond rolls simultaneously, which was not flown in the F-4, was an ideal maneuver in the T-38.

1976 was the birthday of the United States and the Thunderbirds were designated as an official United States Bicentennial Organization. It was the desire of the team to present the best possible program to the American public during the nation's 200th year. This desire resulted in the reinstatement of the second solo after a seven year absence.

The team for 1976 included: Maj. Chris Patterakis - commander/leader, Capt. John LaPointe - left wing, Capt. Steve Mish - right wing, Capt. Lloyd "Fig" Newton - slot, Capt. Jim Simons - lead solo, and Capt. Lacy Veach - opposing solo. The aircraft numbers were moved with the 13 star circle down onto the fuselage just aft of the intakes, with the bicentennial symbol replacing the numbers and stars on the tail. In a year that saw the team fly their 2000th exhibition, they flew a total of 102 air shows before a total of just over 7,500,000 spectators. The Thunderbirds team for 1977 consisted of Capt. Lacy Veach - solo, Capt. Lloyd "Fig" Newton - slot, Capt. John LaPointe - left wing, Capt. Walt Parker - from narrator to right wing, and their new commander/leader was Lt. Col. Dan Cherry. The dual solo was noticeably absent in 1977.

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The 1970's & 1980's

As "Ambassadors in Blue" for both the Air Force and the United States when performing in foreign countries, the Thunderbirds are called on to do many things to give the public a glimpse of what they are all about. From mailing posters to giving celebrities backseat rides in the red, white, and blue aircraft, these public relations events are no less important to the Thunderbird message than the aerial displays that are the heart of the team's work. Every air show involves many public relations events. In 1978 during a trip to New York City, the team did 43 public relations events in four days - and that doesn't include the two demonstrations flown!

In 1979, Maj. D.L. Smith was subsequently named the new commander/leader after Lt. Col. Dan Cherry was promoted out of the job. Because the charter of the Thunderbirds changed to more closely mirror a typical Air Force squadron, a first sergeant, MSgt. Ringler, was added to the ranks to act as a liaison and advisor to the commander for the enlisted members. The opposing solo position was reintroduced after a two year absence. The catastrophic "Diamond Crash" occurred January 18, 1982, during a practice over Range 65, now referred to as "The Gathering of Eagles Range". The team was conducting a line abreast loop maneuver, when a malfunction of the commander/leader's aircraft proved to be fatal for the four pilots of the Diamond formation. Those involved were: Maj. Norm Lowry - commander/leader, Capt. Willie Mays - left wing, Capt. Pete Peterson - right wing, Capt. Mark Melancon - slot. A memorial in honor of these men is located at the North Las Vegas Police Department.

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The 1980's

Due to this catastrophe and the transition to a new aircraft, the Thunderbirds did not perform any aerial demonstrations during the 1982 demonstration season. The team began the transition to the General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon in August 1982.

The move into the F-16A Fighting Falcon was born as much from necessity as it was precedented historically. The original Thunderbird mission was to demonstrate how a combat aircraft - which the T-38 was not - was an effective tool in the hands of a well-trained and experienced pilot. With the F-16, the Air Force returned to that ideal.

Before the Diamond Crash occurred, the F-16 was being considered as a replacement for the T-38. On June 22, 1982, the first Thunderbird-painted F-16 arrived at Nellis. Not until April 2, 1983, was the first performance flown in the F-16s, more than 18 months since the last show. The conversion to the Fighting Falcon involved removing the radar and an internally mounted 20 mm cannon, and installing a smoke-generating system. The Thunderbirds' F-16s can be turned into fully combat-capable planes within 72 hours. In 1988, one F-16, tail number 81-0679, was converted to combat readiness - except for paint - in 27 hours.

To recognize the achievements of the maintenance, operations, and logistics crews making the conversion from T-38 to F-16, the entire Thunderbird enlisted team received the Fitzgerald Trophy, which is usually reserved for the enlisted member who contributes the most to the team's mission.

The 1983 slot pilot Maj. Larry Stellmon became the commander/leader for the 1984 demonstration season. The team returned to Europe in June for the first time in 13 years, visiting Norway for the first time. Another highlight of the 1984 season was the team's visit to the Hawaiian Islands to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood.

The Thunderbird red, Thunderbird white, and Thunderbird blue Fighting Falcons made their second foreign deployment in 1985. Five countries in Latin America were visited.

In 1986, tens of millions of spectators viewed the 4th of July rededication flyby of the Statue of Liberty. In September, the Thunderbirds went over the 200 million mark for attendance when they flew before 75,000 people in Topeka, Kansas. The U.S. Flag on display in the museum display case was flown over the U. S. Capitol and was presented to the team by the Thunderbird Alumni Association. It was to commemorate the rededication of the Thunderbird hangar on November 22, 1986.

In 1987, the Thunderbirds took to the road for their first Far East tour (Delta Over the Pacific) since 1959. Also known as "The Friendship Tour" the team visited Guam, China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Hawaii, Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Japan. The flag of Formosa (now Taiwan) was removed from the flag panel, during the team's visit to The People's Republic of China since China didn't formally recognize Formosa as a country. The visit to Beijing included a fly-over of the Great Wall of China, and marked the first time the team performed in a communist country. In all, 29,000 air miles were covered with two C-141s and a KC-10 in support of the 15 official air demonstrations. The largest crowd to ever witness a Thunderbird air demonstration was 2,250,000 people at Coney Island, New York on July 4th. In 1988, the entire team was again awarded the Fitzgerald Trophy. During this year, the Thunderbirds enlisted/reenlisted 1,112 people into the Air Force, including 150 who were enlisted during a nationally televised Detroit Tigers' baseball game. An annual exchange program between the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels began when MSgt. Willie Cooper and Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Wayne Edgar traded places for three weeks. This program exists so that both teams can gather information and benefit from each other.

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The 1980's & 1990's

The F-16B was first flown in an air show outside the United States during a trip to Mexico in 1988. The F-16B flew in five official air shows. The Thunderbirds undertook an unprecedented "Just Say No to Drugs" campaign in 1989, taking the message to thousands of school children across the nation. On October 5, 1989, the team flew to Luke AFB, Arizona, to fly a private demonstration for the Soviet Union Defense Minister, Gen. Dimitry Yazov. In 1990, as a result of Operation DESERT SHIELD/STORM, the demonstration season was shortened and the overseas tour canceled. During the crisis in the Middle East, the team lost its C-141 support, and for the first time since 1975, relied on two C-130s for transport. The 3,000th air show was performed on April 22, 1990, at Norfolk Naval Air Station, Va.

In 1991, the Thunderbirds returned to Europe. The team added flags from Switzerland, Poland, and Hungary to the flag panel. As the Thunderbirds finished their 1991 demonstration season, the team said good-bye to the F-16As and Bs. In 1992 the team converted to F-16C/D. The new F-16s came from the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing, with the upgrade modifications and painting accomplished at Hill AFB, Utah. With the conversion to the F-16C/D aircraft complete, the team took to the road for the 1992 season.

In October, a C-27 aircraft was used as the advance aircraft for the South American tour. A total of 74 demonstrations were performed during the season including deployments to Alaska and South America.

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The 1990's

The Thunderbirds celebrated their 40th Anniversary in 1993. The team was unable to perform the last 14 scheduled air demonstrations due to an injury to one of the demonstration pilots. Members of the squadron still traveled to those canceled show sites and delivered poise, professionalism, and public relations in other forms, to include static displays, media orientation flights, autograph signings and visits to local schools and hospitals. In addition, the team reverted to using C-130s midway through the season due to problems found in the C-141B Air Force inventory.

1994 was very busy with a Far East tour scheduled. "Thunder Over the Pacific" took us through 5 different countries - Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. The tour was a success with crowd count for the trip at 1.3 million spectators. The trip put the team's total spectator count over the 275,000,000 mark.

In November the Honorable Doctor Sheila Widnall, Secretary of The Air Force, visited the Squadron and flew in the number 1 position with Lt. Col. Stephen Andersen, the commander/leader, during a practice show.

In the 1995 season Capt. J.K. Switzer, 1994 advance pilot/narrator, was selected for his third season due to the aircraft incident in 1994. His knowledge of Thunderbird operations and air show maneuvers made him a logical choice to fly the lead solo position for one year only, in-turn, putting the demo pilots' hiring procedures back in sequence.

1996 was an extremely busy year for the Thunderbirds. During the month of June, the team embarked on a month-long European deployment called "Let Freedom Reign." The team performed 10 official demonstrations in 9 different countries before 440,000 spectators in only 29 days. Three of the countries visited, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovenia, were former eastern bloc countries and their flags were added to the aircraft's flag panel. Also added to the flag panel were the POW, U.N., and Olympic flags for symmetry reasons.

Just after returning from Europe, the team performed the national anthem flyby as part of the opening Olympic ceremonies in Atlanta, Ga.

The flyby was televised by NBC and viewed by 3.8 billion people worldwide. On November 10, 1996, the team performed the 1000th demonstration in the F-16 at Pope AFB, N.C. In 1997, the Thunderbirds performed 57 demonstrations for more than 12 million people in the spirit and theme of the Air Force's 50th Anniversary. Almost every show site from Hawaii to Chicago helped share the 50th celebration with the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds were the host demonstration team to the "Golden Air Tattoo," which was one of the largest anniversary events with Air Force aerial demonstrations from Brazil, Canada, Chile, and Japan.

The Thunderbirds represented the United States Air Force by being represented on the official Air Force 50th Anniversary stamp. On September 18, 1997, the United States Postal Service had official unveilings of the stamp in both the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the Thunderbird hangar. The entire enlisted team was awarded the Fitzgerald Trophy for the third time.

The Thunderbirds celebrated their 45th anniversary in 1998. Their banner year took them to 38 different locations throughout the United States performing 57 demonstrations before 5.1 million spectators. The Thunderbirds provided video footage for the closing flyby in the movie "Armageddon" that was viewed by over 80 million people.

That year SMSgt. Mary Kochel became the team's first female first sergeant. Due to a midair incident involving the No. 3 and No. 4 aircraft during an air show at Patrick AFB, Fla., on April 25, 1999, Maj. Mark Arlinghaus was called upon to replace the right wingman position. Maj. Arlinghaus became the first Thunderbird pilot to hold three different demonstration positions: opposing solo, lead solo, and right wing. The Thunderbirds visited 36 different locations, performing 55 air shows, before over 7.1 million spectators.

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2000 and beyond

As the Thunderbirds approach the end of their fifth decade, they have never looked better. A team which was originally formed to show the capabilities of "new" jet aircraft is now carrying the torch for the United States Air Force. The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron Thunderbirds perform precision aerial maneuvers to exhibit the capabilities of modern high-performance aircraft to people throughout the world, and to show the professional qualities of the Air Force people who fly, maintain, and support these aircraft. Your United States Air Force, your Thunderbirds.

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