Recruit, Retain, Inspire…

In the mythology of the Algonquin peoples, Thunderbirds controlled the upper-world. The Menominee tribe—from which Chief Oshkosh hailed—alleged Thunderbirds delight in deeds of greatness. U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Justin Elliot posits the Thunderbird is a beacon of excellence, and a symbol of service to something bigger than one’s self.

Colonel Elliot’s assessment might be construed hyperbolic, were it not for the fact that he’s Thunderbird One—Commander and Flight-Leader of the U.S. Air Force’s famed Thunderbirds demonstration squadron. 

Elliot’s take on the Thunderbird speaks to the pride he takes in his command. That the Colonel thinks highly of his outfit, its mission, and the airmen it comprises is further evinced by the fact that he passed up a chance to be a NASA Astronaut in order to attain his current post. 

Hailing back to June 13, 1917 and the establishment of the 30th Aero Squadron at Texas’s Kelly Field—now part of Joint Base San Antonio—the Thunderbirds are among the Air Force’s oldest squadrons. Designated a demonstration squadron in 1953, the USAF Thunderbirds are the third-oldest formal flying aerobatic team in the world—after the French Air Force Patrouille de France (1931), and the United States Navy Blue Angels (1946). On 15 February 1974 the Thunderbirds were made a component of the 57th Wing at Nellis AFB.

The General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcons in which Colonel Elliot and his crew dazzle audiences worldwide are the latest in a series of aircraft that chronicles the histories of both the Thunderbirds and United States military aviation. 

In 1953-54, the nascent Thunderbirds flew Republic’s F-84G Thunderjet. The following two years saw the squadron make a relatively horizontal move into the F-84F Thunderstreak—a swept-wing iteration of the F-84G that had misplaced its tip-tanks. 

Between 1956 and 1963, the Thunderbirds cast their lots with North American’s F-100C Super Sabre, thereby becoming the world’s first supersonic aerial demonstration team. 1964 saw a brief flirtation with Republic’s controversial F-105B Thunderchief, which the Thunderbirds hastily abandoned in favor of a return to the F-100–in this instance the “D” model—and a better shot at survival. 

The Thunderbirds’ 1969 leap to McDonnell’s ferocious F-4E Phantom II was exciting, extensive, and complex. The Phantoms were the first Thunderbirds aircraft to sport the iconic, white livery, and their superb performance made for breathtaking aerial spectacle. Alas, the fuel crisis of the 1970s compelled the team to part ways with the thirsty Phantoms.  

In 1974, the Thunderbirds mounted what many considered a retrograde action into Northrop’s T-38 Talon—five of which burned as much fuel per-hour as a single F-4. 

The T-38—albeit capable of demonstrating the capabilities of a prominent Air Force aircraft—failed to perpetuate the Thunderbird tradition of operating front-line jet-fighters. After the fashion of today’s hybrid/electric car delirium, the Talon epoch dragged insufferably on, finally ending in 1983 with the arrival of the formidable F-16A.

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