Military Air Demonstration Teams
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Nope, it’s a whole team of planes…and fast ones at that! The military’s air demonstration teams are the best of the best! If you have ever had the opportunity to witness any of these three amazing teams, you have probably been shocked and amazed at how their precision and expertise shines through in a show!
The Navy has had a demonstration team for the longest time at over 75+ years and counting! The main plane you will see are the F-18’s that are high in the sky, but the rest of their gear and team travel on a C-130, which is nicknamed “Fat Albert”. For the first time in the history of the Blue Angels, they have a female pilot on the team as of the 2024 season! Don’t forget to check out all of their show dates and information to see if they will be coming near you!
Amazon Prime Video recently started streaming “The Blue Angels“, which is an Amazon Original film. It follows the 2023 team for their performance season, where you meet the pilots and their support team that make the Blue Angels a top-notch performance to watch! You get a front-row seat and a behind-the-scenes view of how it all goes down, and it shows the processes of how they select and transition in new pilots to keep the traditions going. You can check it out on Prime Video. (If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can get a FREE 30-day trial to get started!)
As an Air Force spouse, the Thunderbirds are near and dear to my heart as we have seen them the most! The Thunderbirds have been performing as a group for over 70+ years! The Thunderbirds fly F-16’s to show off their amazing aerial skills.
When my kiddo was 5 years old, we were stationed at Scott AFB and the Thunderbirds were out practicing before the big air show that upcoming weekend. We watched them for over 30 mins and it was fun to try to find which way they come by us next!
The Thunderbirds are so loud that my kiddo would cover his ears when they were close, but we would wave and holler in excitement every time. These 2 videos were captured on my cell phone back in 2017. Yes, you can hear my excitement in both videos, and YES, I still get this excited even today when I see them!
Don’t forget to take a look at the belly of the Thunderbirds to see their signature image. It goes by quickly, so be on the lookout for it! Hopefully their show schedule gets them headed your way soon!
One of the coolest events that we were witness to was when my husband’s cousin was graduating from the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs. When the cadets throw their hats upon the final part of the ceremony, the Thunderbirds come zooming across the sky for a flyover, which you had no clue that they were “hiding” behind the mountains waiting for their cue! It was the coolest thing to witness!
The Army’s air demonstration group is a bit different from the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds! The Golden Knights are a team of very skilled skydivers! Whether you are watching the Golden Knights freefall at well over 100mph, or see how they land with such grace and perfection, you just can’t stop watching them in action!
Did you know that Former President George H.W. Bush celebrated a birthday with the Golden Knights? That’s right! He did a tandem jump, where he was attached to one of the Golden Knights, since he wasn’t a skilled skydiver. What a spectacular way to celebrate a birthday!
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