AF Team Member Pays Tribute To Blue Angels' Capt. Jeff Kuss

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are excited to announce the return to the 2016 demonstration schedule, beginning this weekend in Ocean City, MD.

The Thunderbirds temporarily stood down for two weekends following an aircraft mishap on June 2nd after performing the 2016 U.S. Air Force Academy graduation flyover in Colorado Springs, Colo. During the stand-down, the Team supported the safety investigation to collect details of the mishap.

The Team looks forward to Thunderbird #6, Major Alex Turner, returning to fly early this week.

"His timeline to return to the demonstration will be made as Major Turner gets back into the air. We want to ensure that Alex is physically and mentally ready to go," said Lt. Col. Chris Hammond, Thunderbird #1, Commander/Leader.

"I have 100% confidence in our Team and our training to go out and perform a safe and exciting demonstration," said Lt. Col. Hammond. "The Thunderbirds are comprised of 130 incredible professionals who believe in the importance of our mission to represent the world's greatest Air Force. The team's resiliency will be on display at the Ocean City airshow; we look forward to performing another safe, precise and exciting demonstration."

Meanwhile, the Air Force Demonstration Team has not forgotten the tragedy that occurred the same day Maj. Turner ejected from his aircraft. As we all know, Blue Angels #6 Capt. Jeff Kuss lost his life that day when his plane went down during a practice session for an air show in Smyrna, TN.

To honor Capt. Kuss, World War Wings reports that team had a memorial to Capt. Kuss placed on the front wheel well door of Thunderbird #5 flown this season by Capt. Nicholas Ebering. The gesture shows the camaraderie among the armed forces, and the decal will stay on the airplane as long as it is airworthy, according to the report.

(Sources include Thunderbirds news release and worldwarwings.com. Top image from file, others courtesy Nellis AFB)

FMI: www.af.mil