LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" are set to bring their soaring spectacle to this year's AirPower over Hampton Roads air show May 13-15.
The team's red, white and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons will roar over Langley Air Force Base at speeds up to 450 mph during performances, which feature a mix of formation flying and solo routines showcasing approximately 30 maneuvers.
Visitors will see the team perform a variety of signature maneuvers, including the "Diamond Loop," in which four Thunderbirds take off and align into their signature diamond formation followed by a high-altitude loop. The diamond formation typically performs maneuvers in tight formation such as formation loops and rolls or transitions from one formation to another.
In addition to the four-ship demonstrations, Thunderbirds #5 and #6 usually perform their maneuvers just under the speed of sound, showcasing the F-16's capabilities using fast and slow passes and rolls, tight turns and even belly-to-belly or back-to-back maneuvers, creating a mirror effect. In fact, since Thunderbird #5 flies inverted for a portion of the performance, the number "5" is painted on the jet inverted, so audience members will see it displayed properly.
Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, USAFADS commander, said the Thunderbirds' performance at AirPower over Hampton Roads will be "an awesome opportunity," and encouraged visitors to watch as the team represents "the pride, precision and professionalism of nearly 700,000 active-duty, Reserve, Air National Guard Airmen and civilians of the United States Air Force."
The Thunderbirds squadron is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, three civilians and more than 120 enlisted personnel performing in more than 30 career fields. The team's primary mission is twofold: to exhibit the capabilities of modern, warfighting aircraft, and demonstrate the high degree of skill maintained by Air Force members serving in a variety of career specialties.
The Thunderbirds join the F-22 Raptor Demo Team, the A-10 East Coast Demo Team, the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, and a variety of other spectacular aerial demonstrations and static aircraft. For more information about the Thunderbirds, visit
http://thunderbirds.airforce.com. For more information about AirPower over Hampton Roads 2011, visit
http://www.langleyairshow.com.