Thunderbirds on the Bill for Shaw Air Show
Chuck Crumbo - The State
Dec 08, 2009
The Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team will be back at Shaw Air Force Base after a five-year hiatus, headlining next year's ShawFest.
The event will mark the team's first appearance at the Shaw program since 2005, the base announced Monday.
The show, scheduled for May 8-9, will include an appearance by the Army's Golden Knights parachute team.
The Thunderbirds, who fly red, white and blue F-16 fighter planes similar to those of the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw, perform as many as 88 demonstrations a year.
The Air Force estimates 280 million people in the United States and 57 foreign countries have seen the Thunderbirds.
Members of the squadron, which is an Air Combat Command unit, include eight pilots, four support officers, three civilians and 130 enlisted airmen from a variety of career fields.
A Thunderbirds show offers a mix of loops, passes and rolls, plus solo routines.
Four aircraft flying in a diamond formation demonstrate the training and precision of pilots, while the solo maneuvers flown by two aircraft highlight the jet's capabilities.
The pilots execute about 30 maneuvers during a show, which runs about 75 minutes.
The Army's paratroop team has performed more than 15,000 shows in all 50 states and in 48 countries, reaching more than 20,000 people per show.
The Golden Knights' show consists of four separate maneuvers as soldiers fall at about 120 mph.
The two-day event, called "Thunder Over the Midlands," will be free. It also will include flying demonstrations by other military aircraft and static ground displays.
----
Sound Off...What do you think? Join the discussion
Copyright 2012 by The State
