Thunderbirds, Snowbirds, And (Blue) Angels... Oh, My!

If you do one thing next year to encourage your friends and family to check out the world of aviation... take them to an airshow featuring one of the three military precision flying teams below. Let them witness impossible feats of skill and training, and maneuvers that defy gravity and logic.

Let them hear... no, make that feel... the roar of an F/A-18 on full afterburner climbing off the deck, or an F-16 sneaking up to surprise the crowd from behind, flying 500 feet overhead at 350 knots.

And while those fancy, ultramodern jets the US teams fly are mighty impressive... they'll be especially amazed to watch 1960s-era Tudor training jets perform many of the same aerial tricks and twists. Now THAT'S piloting, folks.

Here are the 2006 performance schedules for the US Navy Blue Angels, the USAF Thunderbirds, and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, as they were announced Thursday at the 2005 ICAS Convention in Orlando.

2006 Canadian Forces Snowbirds Schedule

April

• May
  • 3                Lakeland, FL
  • 6-7            Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • 10             Pope AFB, NC
  • 13-14        MCAS New River, NC
  • 17             Kingston, ON
  • 20-22        North Bay, ON
  • 24             St. Thomas, ON
  • 27-28        Virden, MB

  June

  • 3-4           Portage la Praire, MB
  • 7              Thunder Bay, ON
  • 10-11       Quebec City, QC
  • 14            Riviere du Loup, QC
  • 17-18       Ottawa, ON  
  • 24            Oshawa, ON
  • 25            Borden, ON
  • 28            Cobourg, ON

  July

  • 1              Ottawa, ON (Canada Day)
  • 4              Battle Creek, MI
  • 20            Meadow Lake, SK
  • 22            Yellow Knife, NWT 
  • 24            Fort Smith, NWT
  • 26            Dawson Creek, BC
  • 29-30       Lethbridge, AB

  August

  • 2            Williams Lake, BC
  • 5-6         Oak Bay, BC
  • 11-13     Abbotsford, BC
  • 16          Rocky Mtn House, AB
  • 19-20     Saskatoon, SK
  • 26-27     St-Catharines, ON
  • 30          Brantford, ON

  September

  • 2-4         Toronto, ON
  • 9-10       Halifax, NS
  • 13          Gander, Newfoundland
  • 16-17     Summerside, PEI
  • 20          La Tuque, QC
  • 23-24     Sarnia, ON
  • 30          Redding, CA

  October

  • 1            Redding, CA
  • 4            Mojave, CA
  • 7-8         El Paso, TX
  • 13          15 Wing Moose Jaw, SK

  2006 USAF Thunderbirds Schedule

  March

  • 25-26       Ft. Smith, AR

  April

  • 1-2           Punta Gorda, FL
  • 8              Maxwell AFB, AL
  • 9              Columbus AFB, MS
  • 22-23       Tyndall AFB, FL
  • 29-30       March AFB, CA

  May

  • 6-7           Langley AFB, VA
  • 13-14       Robins AFB, GA
  • 20             Altus AFB, OK
  • 21             Dyess AFB, TX
  • 27-28        Cannon AFB, NM
  • 31             USAFA, CO

  June

  • 3-4           Beale AFB, CA
  • 10-11       Hill AFB, UT
  • 17-18       NASJRB Willow Grove, PA
  • 24-25       North Kingston, RI

  July

  • 1               Kirtland AFB, NM
  • 3-4            Battle Creek, MI
  • 8-9            Duluth, MN
  • 15-16        Milwaukee, WI
  • 22             Grand Forks AFB, ND
  • 23             Casper, WY
  • 26             Cheyenne, WY
  • 29-30        Fairchild AFB, WA

  August

  • 12-13        Scott AFB, IL
  • 19-20        Burlington, VT
  • 23             Atlantic City, NJ
  • 26-27        Mt. Comfort, IN

  September

  • 2-4            Gary, IN
  • 9-10          McConnell AFB, KS
  • 15-17        Reno, NV
  • 23-24        Rockford, IL
  • 30             Ft. Worth (Alliance), TX

  October

  • 1               Ft. Worth (Alliance), TX
  • 7-8            NAS Patuxent River, MD
  • 15             Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC
  • 21-22        Houston, TX
  • 28-29        Edwards AFB, CA

  November

  • 4-5            Lackland AFB, TX
  • 11-12        Nellis AFB, NV

  2006 USN Blue Angels Schedule

  March

  • 11          NAS El Centro, CA
  • 18-19     Sacramento, CA
  • 25-26     Tampa, FL

  April

  • 1-2         NAS Kingsville, TX
  • 8            Charleston AFB, SC
  • 22-23     Lousville, KY
  • 29-30     NAS Atlanta, GA

  May

  • 6-7         Ft. Lauderdale, FL
  • 13-14     NASJRB Ft. Worth, TX
  • 19-21     Andrews AFB, MD
  • 24          Annapolis, MD
  • 27-28     Jones Beach, NY

  June

  • 3-4         Davenport, IA
  • 10-11     Quebec City, PQ
  • 17-18     Netherlands
  • 24-25     Westfield, MA

  July

  • 1-2         Traverse City, MI
  • 8-9         Pittsburgh, PA
  • 13-14     Pensacola Beach, FL
  • 22-23     Sioux Falls, SD
  • 29-30     Dayton, OH

  August

  • 5-6          Seattle, WA
  • 13-14      Elmendorf AFB, AK
  • 19-20      Chicago, IL

  September

  • 2-4          Cleveland, OH
  • 9-10        NAS Oceana, VA
  • 16-17      Kansas City, MO
  • 23-24      Lincoln, NE
  • 30           Nantucket, MA

  October

  • 7-8           San Francisco, CA
  • 14-15       MCAS Miramar, CA
  • 21-22       Goodyear, AZ
  • 28-29       NAS Jacksonville, FL

  November

  • 4-5          Little Rock AFB, AR
  • 10-11      NAS Pensacola, FL

  FMI: www.blueangels.com www.snowbirds.dnd.ca, www.nellis.af.mil/thunderbirds/