LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Thunderbirds, U.S. Air Force’s elite demonstration team, spend most of the year traveling, performing jaw-dropping maneuvers in airshows across the country. The Thunderbirds are on the road for 250 days of the year. For a few months, the team returns to the Nellis Air Force Base, where their training begins.
When they’re not in the air wowing audiences, the Thunderbirds are on the ground, fine tuning every detail of their craft. From practicing formations to perfecting safety checks, preparation is key to their success.
At shows, Thunderbirds one through four form a diamond in the sky, getting as close as 18 inches apart, all while flying at over 500 mph. Thunderbirds five and six are solo pilots who race in the sky towards each other and split away at the last second. It’s an intricate air show, which is why training is crucial.
“It’s just getting those reps and sets just repetition, just trying to dial it in so we’ll start out wide and well start moving in closer and closer and closer until we get that perfect optic that we want to showcase to the whole country,” said Thunderbird Seven, Lt. Col. Taylor Wight.
Valley native Lt. Col. Wight is the operations officer, who is second in command to Thunderbird One, Lt. Col. Nathan Malafa.
“I’m back in my hometown on the thunderbird team it’s amazing we go out to the range, and I literally fly over my house I get to see the town I grew up,” Lt. Col. Wight said.
The team’s ground crew plays a critical role in the preparation process. Each Thunderbird pilot has their own unique hand signal, which the ground crew mirrors back before takeoff. It’s a moment that energizes the pilots and adds to the team’s signature style.
“This is actually like my childhood dream, in the first grade I knew I wanted to be in the Air Force,” said Technical Sgt. Paige Mitchell. “Then in fourth grade I met retired Colonel Nicole Malikowski, the first woman Thunderbird pilot.”
For Sgt. Mitchell, the mission is personal. Her father was also a part of the Thunderbirds, making her role on the team a continuation of a proud family tradition.
The Thunderbirds time at the Nellis Air Force Base is brief but vital. It’s where the Thunderbirds perfect their craft and prepare for another season of inspiring audiences around the world.
The Thunderbirds are scheduled to perform at the Nellis Air Force Base for Aviation Nation on April 5 and 6. The gates open at 10 a.m. while the flying performances are from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
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