Thunderbirds pilot visits Kirtland in advance of air show

  • Published
  • By Argen Duncan
  • Nucleus editor
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  A U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon dropped by Kirtland Air Force Base on Wednesday in preparation for air shows June 4 and 5.

Thunderbirds advance pilot and narrator Maj. Scott Petz and crew chief Staff Sgt. Conrad Nelson conducted a site survey.

Petz said pilots needed to plan for Albuquerque's high altitude and rising terrain. He also looked for visual references they could use, since the air show maneuvers aren't computerized and pilots try to stay within 5 miles of the show center.

The air show is part of a base open house celebrating Kirtland's 75th anniversary. The event will be free and open to the public.

"They can expect high-intensity, loud, fast performances, safe performances," Petz said.

Six F-16s fly in close formations with choreographed movements during shows.

"When you're flying at 500 mph, things go by pretty fast," but pilots are flying so low that they can still see the audience below them, Petz said.

He said the Thunderbirds would bring eight Fighting Falcons with their pilots, multiple support aircraft and 60-plus support personnel to Albuquerque.

The Thunderbirds, based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, are in their training season now, with the show season running from Feb. 21 through Nov. 13. Petz said they'd perform 67 demonstrations at about three-dozen sites in 28 states this year.

"It's a unique opportunity for two years," he said.

He's in his second of two years as a pilot. Enlisted personnel may stay with the group three or four years.