Look for signs directing you to a new entrance to the general admission lot, at Northwoods and Engle Road. The general admission parking lot is accessible from I-75 exit 64 at Northwoods Boulevard. Parking passes per car are priced at $15, and RV and bus parking is priced at $25. If you’re planning to attend this weekend’s air show, here’s what you should know: General admission parking passes should be purchased in advance. The team is made up of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, three civilians and more than 130 enlisted personnel performing in 25 career fields, according to the Air Force. The Thunderbirds are an Air Combat Command unit ready to go to war if needed. “It just makes you proud to be an American.” “It really tugs at the heart strings,” the major said. When they’re not performing or traveling 270 or more days a year, they’re practicing routines endlessly, refining everything from the four-ship diamond formation, to the six-ship Delta, to solo maneuvers.ĭownie promised “an incredible performance” - fast-paced, fun and musical. The Thunderbird members, based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, serve two-year stints in the squadron, most of that time spent traveling to and performing in air shows like the one in Dayton. Today, the roar of the F-16s’ Pratt & Whitney engines is a highlight of air shows around the nation. “There’s just a ton of history on this team,” Downie said, noting that the Thunderbirds have had about 2,535 members over the decades. The elite demonstration team was established in 1953, six years after the Air Force became an independent military branch, splitting from the Army. “We have to be able to operate in very austere environments without backshop support.”Ģ023 marks the Thunderbirds’ 70th anniversary. “You’ll see that when the C-17 gets here, and all the people get off the aircraft, and all of our luggage, all of our equipment and all of our tools,” he said.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |