United States Air Force Thunderbirds The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ( " Thunderbirds " ) is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force ( USAF ) . The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing , and are based at Nellis AFB , Nevada . The squadron tours the United States and much of the world , performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked aircraft . The name is taken from the legendary creature that appears in the mythology of several indigenous North American cultures . On 1 March 2013 , the USAF announced that due to budget cuts , aerial demonstration team performances would cease indefinitely , effective 1 April 2013 . Overview . The Thunderbirds are a named USAF squadron , meaning it does not carry a numerical designation . It is also one of the oldest squadrons in the Air Force , its origins dating to the organization of the 30th Aero Squadron , formed at Kelly Field , Texas on 13 June 1917 . Officers serve a two - year assignment with the squadron , while enlisted personnel serve three to four years . As the squadron performs no more than 88 air demonstrations each year , replacements must be trained for about half of the team each year , in order to provide a constant mix of experience . In addition to their air demonstration responsibilities , the Thunderbirds are part of the USAF combat force and if required , can be rapidly integrated into an operational fighter unit . Since 15 February 1974 the Thunderbirds have been a component of the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB . Since 1953 , they have flown in front of more than 300 million people . F - 16 Fighting Falcon . The Thunderbirds perform aerial demonstrations in the F - 16C Fighting Falcon . Two F - 16D twin - seat trainers are also flown . The F - 16 has been the demonstration aircraft for the Thunderbirds since the 1983 season . In January 1982 , several members of the squadron were killed in what became known as the " Diamond Crash " of T - 38 Talon aircraft which the squadron had flown since 1974 . Partially as a result of that accident , the squadron switched to the F - 16A , and sat out the 1982 airshow season and spent that year retraining and transitioning over to the new aircraft to ready themselves for the 1983 season . The F - 16 , however , had been considered for transition prior to the accident . In rebuilding the Thunderbird Team , the Air Force recruited previous Thunderbird pilots , qualified each in the F - 16A , and had them begin by flying " two - ship " maneuvers , then expanded the program one airplane at a time up to the full six airplanes . Beginning in June 1982 , the F - 16 Thunderbirds were led by Major Jim Latham . The team continues to fly the F - 16 , having switched from the F - 16A to the F - 16C in 1992 . Only a few minor modifications differentiate a Thunderbird from an operational F - 16C . These include the replacement of the cannon and ammunition drum with a smoke - generating system , including its plumbing and control switches , the removal of the jet fuel starter exhaust door , and the application of the Thunderbirds ' glossy red , white , and blue polyurethane paint scheme . All of the modification work is performed at the maintenance depot at Hill AFB near Ogden , Utah . Other than those modifications , the aircraft are taken from the standard USAF inventory as production fighters , and can be returned to an operational squadron in short order without any major modification . Demonstration routine . From the end of the runway the 4 - ship Thunderbird team get ready to begin their take - off roll with the words " Thunderbirds , let ' s run em up ! " being retransmitted from the team leader ' s mic through the PA system for the crowd to hear . Diamond : Historically , as Thunderbirds 1 through 4 lift off , the slot aircraft slips immediately into position behind 1 to create the signature Diamond formation . Thanks to the 2009 upgrade to the Block 52 , the Diamond now has more than enough thrust to continue to climb straight up into their first maneuver , the Diamond Loop . Solos : Thunderbird 5 takes to the air next performing a clean low altitude aileron roll followed by 6 who performs a split S climbing in a near vertical maneuver rolling over and diving back toward show center pulling up just above the runway and exiting in the opposite direction . Much of the Thunderbirds ' display alternates between maneuvers performed by the diamond , and those performed by the solos . They have a total of 8 different formations : The Diamond , Delta , Stinger , Arrowhead , Line - Abreast , Trail , Echelon and the Five Card . The arrowhead performs maneuvers in tight formation as close as 18 inches Fuselage to Canopy separation . They perform formation loops and rolls or transitions from one formation to another . All maneuvers done at speeds of 450 - 500 + mph . The opposing solos usually perform their maneuvers just under the speed of sound ( 500 – 700 mph ) , and show off the capabilities of their individual F - 16s by doing maneuvers such as fast passes , slow passes , fast rolls , slow rolls , and very tight turns . Some of their maneuvers include both solo F - 16s at once , such as opposing passes ( passing in close proximity to each other ) and mirror formations ( their two F - 16s being flown back - to - back in the calypso pass or belly - to - belly . In mirror formations , one Thunderbird must be inverted , and it is always Thunderbird number 5 . In fact , the " 5 " on this aircraft is painted on upside down , and thus appears right - side - up for much of the routine ) . There is also an extra amount of humor regarding the inverted performance of Thunderbird Five : the pilots all wear tailored flight suits with their name and jet number embroidered on the left breast . The 5 is sewn inverted . Nearing the end the Diamond pulls straight up into the vertical to perform the signature " Bomb Burst , " where all 4 aircraft break off in separate directions while a solo goes straight up through the maneuver and performs aileron rolls until 3 miles above the ground . At the end of the routine , all six aircraft join in formation , forming the Delta . One of the Thunderbirds ' standing engagements is the annual commencement ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs . The jets fly over Falcon Stadium at the precise moment the cadets throw their hats into the air at ceremony ' s end . History . On 19 September 1985 , the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron was consolidated by Air Force Historical Research Agency ( AFHRA ) with the 30th Bombardment Squadron , a unit which was organized on 13 June 1917 . During its operational history , the 30th served in World War I as a training unit in France , its mission to train fighter pilots to go into combat on the Western Front . The squadron was almost torpedoed on its troop ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean . Stationed at Clark Field , in the Philippines on 7 December 1941 , it was almost wiped out in the 1941 Battle of the Philippines . Some members of the squadron fought as an infantry unit and were captured by the Japanese , being subjected to the Bataan Death March . The squadron was withdrawn to Australia , being reformed and later attacked Japan as a B - 29 Superfortress squadron in 1945 . It was awarded Nine Presidential Unit Citations in World War II . Today ' s USAF Thunderbirds carry the , lineage , history and honors , of the 30th on active duty . USAF Thunderbirds history . F - 84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak era . After six months training in an unofficial status , the Thunderbirds were activated on 25 May 1953 as the 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke AFB , just west of Phoenix . The team had flown 26 shows by that August . The first team leader was Major Richard C . Catledge ( 1953 – 1954 ) , and the first plane used by the unit was the straight - wing F - 84G Thunderjet . Because the Thunderjet was a single seat fighter , a two - seat T - 33 Shooting Star served as the narrator ' s aircraft and was used as the VIP / Press ride aircraft . The T - 33 served with the Thunderbirds in this capacity in the 1950s and 1960s . The next year the Thunderbirds performed their first overseas air shows , in a tour of South and Central America , and added a permanent solo routine to the demonstration . In the spring of 1955 , under their second commander / leader ( September 1954 – February 1957 ) , Captain Jacksel M . Broughton , they moved to the swept - wing F - 84F Thunderstreak aircraft , in which they performed 91 air shows , and received their first assigned support aircraft , a C - 119 Flying Boxcar . F - 100 Super Sabre era . The Thunderbirds ' aircraft were again changed in June 1956 , to the F - 100C Super Sabre , which gave the team supersonic capability . This switch was accompanied by a move of headquarters to Nellis AFB , Nevada on 1 June because of maintenance and logistical difficulties of basing the F - 100s at Luke , with their first show after the move being held on 23 June . It also signaled a shift in their performance routine — for example , the Cuban 8 opening routine was dropped , and emphasis was placed on low , screaming flyovers and demonstrations of takeoff performance . For a time , if the show ' s sponsor permitted it , the pilots would create a " sonic boom " ( this ended when the FAA banned supersonic flight over the continental U . S . ) . The move to Nellis also resulted in the first assignment of buildings and hangar space to the team . This practice remained in force through the 1973 season . In 1961 , the team was compelled to discontinue the vertical bank maneuver due to an FAA regulation prohibiting aerobatics that pointed the nose of the aircraft toward the crowd . 1962 saw the introduction of dual solo routines , and the Thunderbirds went on their first European deployment in 1963 , the year after the disbanding of the " Skyblazers " ( see below ) . The team switched to the F - 105 Thunderchief for a brief period , but returned to the F - 100 in 1964 after only six airshows , when structural failure of an F - 105 in a pitch - up for landing resulted in the death of Capt . Gene Devlin at Hamilton Air Force Base . The F - 100 was also judged to be more maneuverable for demonstration displays , and was retained through the 1968 season . F - 4 Phantom II era . By 1967 , the Thunderbirds had flown 1 , 000 shows . In 1969 , the squadron adopted the noisy and huge F - 4E Phantom , which it flew until 1973 , the only time the Thunderbirds would fly jets similar to those of the Blue Angels , as it was the standard fighter for both services . A special white paint had to be developed to cover high - temperature metals , replacing the bare metal paint scheme of past planes . The white paint scheme has been continued to the present . T - 38 Talon era . Due to the 1973 oil crisis , the team only flew six air shows and was grounded for some time . However , in 1974 they switched to the more economical T - 38 Talon . Five T - 38s used the same amount of fuel needed for one F - 4 Phantom . The switch to the T - 38 also saw an alteration of the flight routine to exhibit the aircraft ' s maneuverability in tight turns , and also ended the era of the black tail on the No . 4 slot plane , which would now be regularly cleaned and shined like the others . In 1982 , the Thunderbirds suffered a catastrophic loss during pre - season training on 18 January . While practicing the four - plane diamond loop , the formation impacted the ground at high speed , instantly killing all four pilots : Major Norman L . Lowry ( commander / leader ) , Captain Willie Mays , Captain Joseph N . " Pete " Peterson , and Captain Mark Melancon . The cause of the crash was determined by the USAF to be the result of a mechanical problem with the # 1 aircraft ' s control stick actuator . This resulted in insufficient back pressure by the formation leader on the T - 38 control stick during the loop . Visually cueing off of the lead aircraft during formation maneuvering , the wing and slot pilots disregarded their positions relative to the ground . F - 16 Fighting Falcon era . The team ' s activities were suspended for six months pending investigation of the crashes and review of the program , then reinstituted using the General Dynamics F - 16A Fighting Falcon in 1983 . They upgraded to the F - 16C ( now produced by Lockheed Martin ) in 1992 . The F - 16 has been the aerial demonstration aircraft for the Thunderbirds for 30 years . In 1986 , the Thunderbirds did a fly - by for the re - dedication of the Statue of Liberty in New York City . They also performed the first American military demonstration in a communist country when the team visited Beijing , China in 1987 . Their 3 , 000th air show was performed in 1990 , and in 1991 the team went overseas to perform air show in Switzerland , Poland and Hungary . The team traveled abroad again in 1996 , visiting Romania , Bulgaria and Slovenia . Also in 1996 , the team participated in the Atlanta Olympics ' opening ceremonies . The United States Postal Service honored the Air Force ' s 50th anniversary as a separate branch of the military in 1997 with a limited edition stamp featuring the Thunderbirds . Their 3 , 000th air show was performed in 1990 , and in 1991 the team went overseas to perform air show in Switzerland , Poland and Hungary . The team traveled abroad again in 1996 , visiting Romania , Bulgaria and Slovenia . Also in 1996 , the team participated in the Atlanta Olympics ' opening ceremonies . The United States Postal Service honored the Air Force ' s 50th anniversary as a separate branch of the military in 1997 with a limited edition stamp featuring the Thunderbirds . In 2005 , the Thunderbirds temporarily grounded themselves pending an investigation into a minor mid - air incident during the Chicago Air & Water Show on 20 August . During the diamond pass in review , the tip of the missile rail on the right wing of the slot ( # 4 ) aircraft contacted the left stabilator of the right ( # 3 ) aircraft . A four - foot section of the missile rail snapped off , while the No . 3 aircraft sustained damage described by one of the Thunderbirds pilots as a " medium deep scratch " to the red paint of the stabilator . This is why the USAF Thunderbirds have taken extra precaution when flying their diamond , no longer 1 and a half feet wingtip to canopy separation but around 3 feet . Still very close while going 450 + mph . They now fly as close as 18 - inch Fuselage to Canopy separation during the arrowhead loop and roll . Amateur video showed the missile rail falling into the " safety box " on Lake Michigan away from boaters . While there were no injuries and the aircraft remained apparently flightworthy , the demonstration was immediately terminated , all aircraft returned to Gary International Airport , and the Thunderbirds did not return for the second day of the Chicago show . The right wing pilot ( # 3 ) was Major D . Chris Callahan , and the slot position ( # 4 ) was flown by Major Steve Horton . In June 2005 , the Thunderbirds selected Major Nicole Malachowski for the No . 3 position , making her the first female to hold a pilot position in the team ' s 53 - year history . In 2007 , during Maj . Malachowski ' s final season as a Thunderbird , the team selected its second female pilot , Captain Samantha Weekes , who flew the No . 6 opposing solo position . The 2007 European Goodwill Tour was the Thunderbirds ’ first visit to Europe after the September 11th attacks . During this tour , the Thunderbirds ’ performed at their first - ever air show in Ireland . Despite inclement weather , more than 100 , 000 people attended the air show , garnering nationwide exposure by Irish media . Additional stops along the way included aerial demonstrations in Poland , Romania , Bulgaria ' s Graf Ignatievo Air Base , Italy , France and England , where the Thunderbirds participated in the Royal International Air Tattoo , the world ’ s largest air show . Outside of aerial demonstrations , the team participated in eight official public relations events attended by heads of state and local civic leaders . The team also conducted community outreach by meeting with needy children throughout Europe . On 10 – 11 November 2007 , the City of Las Vegas and Nellis AFB saluted the U . S . Air Force , hosting the capstone event of the USAF ' s 60th anniversary celebration . In 2008 , the Thunderbirds remained in North America , performing in both the United States and Canada . When Quebec City celebrated its 400th anniversary , the Thunderbirds joined the Canadian Forces ' Snowbirds , the British Royal Air Force ' s Red Arrows , and the United States Navy ' s Blue Angels in a ceremonial flight over Quebec City . Later in the year , the team returned to Canada for two shows in Abbotsford , British Columbia . In 2009 the Thunderbirds hired their first - ever Air National Guard pilot , Lt . Col . Derek Routt as Thunderbird No . 7 ( operations officer ) , and the first - ever Reserve pilot , Maj . Sean Gustafson , also joined the team as Thunderbird No . 4 ( slot ) . The 2009 Far East Tour took the team to multiple locations on western border of the Pacific Rim and included performances in Hawaii , Australia , Malaysia , Guam , Thailand , Japan , and South Korea . More than 1 . 2 million people saw the shows in person and more than 120 million were exposed to the shows through their national media . These are conservative estimates as one Korean prime - time television show alone reached 8 million . The top - rated show , " Qualifications of Man " did a one - hour feature on the Thunderbirds and resulted from a coordinated media pitch to the network and the Republic of Korea Air Force . In addition to the air shows , the Thunderbirds personally met and spent time with 500 + special needs children and orphans . The entire 2013 flying season was canceled after Congress failed to enact a balanced program of spending cuts and tax increases to deal with the United States fiscal cliff . Accidents . The Thunderbirds have performed at over 4 , 000 airshows worldwide , accumulating millions of miles in hundreds of different airframes over the course of their 54 + years of service . Flying high performance fighter jets is inherently dangerous ; when flying in extremely close formation the danger is compounded . The team has suffered three fatal crashes during air shows , two of them in jets : The first was the death of Major Joe Howard flying Thunderbird 3 on 4 June 1972 at Dulles Airport , during Transpo 72 . His Phantom ( F - 4E s / n " 66 - 0321 " ) experienced a structural failure of the horizontal stabilizer . Maj Howard ejected as the aircraft fell back to earth from about 1 , 500 feet tail first and descended under a good canopy , but was too close to the explosion fireball and did not survive . The second death occurred 9 May 1981 at Hill AFB , Utah , when Captain David " Nick " Hauck flying Thunderbird 6 crashed while performing the hi - lo Maneuver . Capt . Hauk , in Thunderbird 6 , crashed while attempting to land his ailing T - 38 after an engine malfunctioned and caught fire . With black smoke billowing from the exhaust and the aircraft losing altitude in a high nose - up attitude , the safety officer on the ground radioed Capt Hauck : " You ’ re on fire , punch out " , to which he responded : “ Hang on . . . we have a bunch of people down there ” . The aircraft continued to fight to stay airborne for about half a mile before hitting a large oak tree and a barn , then sliding across a field and flipping as it traversed an irrigation canal ultimately erupting into a fireball just a few hundred feet from the runway ' s end . No one on the ground was injured even though the accident occurred adjacent to a roadway packed with onlookers . Relationship to other USAF aerial demonstration teams . The first USAF jet - powered aerobatic demo team was the " Acrojets " , performing early in 1949 with F - 80Cs at the USAF Fighter School at Williams Air Force Base , Arizona , and was headed by Col ( then Capt ) Howard W . " Swede " Jensen . This team flew together until August 1950 , when it was deactivated due to the American commitment to the Korean War . Additionally , there was also a later USAFE " Acrojets " team in Germany , this one made up of USAF T - 33 Shooting Star instructor pilots at Fürstenfeldbruck AB in the mid - 1950s . The " Skyblazers " were the USAF demonstration team representing the United States Air Forces Europe ( USAFE ) from the late 1940s through the 1950s . This team was formed in early 1949 by a group of 22d Fighter Squadron pilots from the 36th Fighter Wing at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base in Germany . At this time they were flying Lockheed F - 80B Shooting Stars . The unit transitioned to the F - 84E in 1950 , the F - 86F in 1955 and the F - 100C in 1956 . Two of the original Skyblazer team members , identical twins C . A . " Bill " and C . C . " Buck " Pattillo , went on to become members of the first Thunderbird team . Unlike the Thunderbirds , the Skyblazers seldom appeared outside of the realm of USAFE operations in Europe . The Skyblazers were disbanded in January 1962 when their home squadron was rotated back to the United States and their assigned aircraft transitioned to the F - 105 Thunderchief . The " Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse " were a group of four C - 130 pilots and their planes who were officially recognized as an aerial demonstration team by the USAF ' s Tactical Air Command in 1957 . They flew as an aerial demonstration team until 1960 . Thunderbirds museum . The Air Force maintains a museum covering the history of the demonstration team that includes one of the aircraft that the team flew in the past .