U.s. Air Force Thunderbirds 01

Title

U.s. Air Force Thunderbirds 01

Artist

Susan McMenamin

Medium

Photograph

Description

The Thunderbirds have the privilege and responsibility of performing for people all around the world, and are internationally known for their sharply choreographed, hard-charging demonstration of precision formation flying. Pushing their distinctive red, white and blue F-16 Falcon jets to the limit. In 1947, while the jet age was still in its infancy, military aviation was hurtled into the future with the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a separate service. Just six years later, on May 25, 1953, the Air Force�s official air demonstration team, designated the 3600th Air Demonstration Unit, was activated at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The unit adopted the name �Thunderbirds,� influenced in part by the strong Native American culture and folklore from the southwestern United States where Luke Air Force Base is located. Seven officers and 22 enlisted were selected for the first demonstration team. From these humble beginnings and this group of men, the Air Force Thunderbird legend was born. Since the team�s inception, 325 officers have worn the distinguished emblem of �America�s Ambassadors in Blue.� Through selfless dedication, a desire to excel and a constant commitment to improvement, these leaders have channeled their efforts into making the Thunderbirds what they are today. Every officer has a specific and crucial role in the broad Thunderbirds mission, and traditionally, officers assigned to the team adopt their number as their unofficial �call sign.� Eight of the 12 officers assigned to the team are highly experienced fighter pilots. Thunderbirds 1-6 fly in the air show demonstrations; Thunderbird 7 is the operations officer; and Thunderbird 8 is the advance pilot and narrator, coordinating last-minute logistical details at show sites and lending his voice to describe the maneuvers during the show. Thunderbirds 9-12 are support officers who perform expert medical, administrative, maintenance and public affairs functions. A Thunderbirds officer serves a two-year tour of duty. To ensure continuity and a smooth transition, three of the six demonstration pilots typically change each year. The team will spend more than 200 days on the road.

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July 28th, 2015

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