Jet Team Schedules Announced

January 26, 2007 – They’re traveling most weekends, exciting crowds with their tight precision aerobatics. But their purpose is more than just to impress. The real mission of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds is to get men and women interested in military service by showcasing some pretty impressive flying.

The Thunderbird team will start its 54th season and celebrate the Air Force’s 60th anniversary in 2007, while the Blue Angels are beginning its 61st year of precision flight demonstrations, including its renowned six-jet Delta Formation, for the Navy and Marine Corps.

There is no typical week for these teams, except that they stay busy. The Birds and Blues each perform in about 70 air shows a year in approximately 35 air show sites. On average, they travel more than 200 days a year, from the middle of March to the middle of November. The winter months are spent training the newest members. The Thunderbirds are based at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, Nevada, while the Blue Angels train pilots and new team members at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, California.

The Thunderbirds pilot the F-16C, its plane of choice for 20 years; in 2007, the Blue Angels are celebrating 20 years of flying the F/A-18 Hornet.

What does it take to become a member of the Birds or Blues? A lot.

All potential applicants for the Thunderbird’s 29 different career fields must have gained experience in their Air Force specialty prior to applying. Only the best are chosen. The process is similar for the Blue Angels and just as extensive. The new demonstration pilots and support officers are selected by unanimous vote after many steps.

The teams are widely visible. In fact, the Blue Angels estimated that more than 15 million people watched them perform in 2006, or more than 427 million people since their inception in 1946.

But you won’t find the two teams performing together. That’s because both teams try to cover as much of the nation as possible during the air show season, and by flying at different events, they can reach a wider audience and better accomplish their goals.

Thunderbirds Schedule

March

24-25 — Luke AFB, Arizona

31 — Pt. Mugo, NBVC, California

April

1 — Pt. Mugo, NBVC, California

14-15 — Eglin AFB, Florida

21-22 — Barksdale AFB, Louisiana

28-29 — Langley AFB, Virginia

May

5-6 —Fort Lauderdale, Florida

12-13 — McGuire AFB, New Jersey

19-20 — Andrews AFB, Maryland

26-27 —Wantagh (Jones Beach), New York

June

2-3 — Davenport, Iowa

9-10 — Sacramento, California

16-17 — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

23-24 — Galway, Ireland

26 — Krzesiny AB, Poland

28 — Mihail Kogalniceanu, Romania

30 — Ankara, Turkey

July

1 — Graf Ignatievo, Bulgaria

4 — Aviano AB, Italy

7-8 — Eveux Field, France

14-15 —RAF Fairford, United Kingdom

25 — Cheyenne, Wyoming

28-29 — Dayton, Ohio

August

11-12 — Niagara Falls, New York

15 — Atlantic City, New Jersey

18-19 — Chicago, Illinois

25-26 —Otis ANGB, Massachusetts

September

1-3 — Cleveland, Ohio

8 — Minot AFB, North Dakota

15 — Hickam AFB, Hawaii

22-23 — El Paso, Texas

29-30 — Columbus, Ohio

October

6-7 — Pope AFB, North Carolina

13-14 — Miramar MCAS, California

20-21 — Moody AFB, Georgia

27-28 — New Orleans, Louisiana

November

2-3 — NASA Cape Canaveral, Florida

10-11 — Nellis AFB, Nevada

Blue Angels Schedule

March

10 — NAF El Centro, California

17-18 — Davis Monthan AFB, Arizona

24 — Tyndall AFB, Florida

31 — MacDill AFB, Florida

April

1 — MacDill AFB, Florida

14-15 — NAS Corpus Christi, Texas

21-22 — MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina

28-29 — Vidalia, Georgia

May

5-6 — Offutt AFB, Nebraska

12 — Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina

19-20 — La Crosse, Wisconsin

23 — U.S. Naval Academy, Maryland

26-27 — Millville, New Jersey

June

2-3 — Rockford, Illinois

9-10 — Tinker AFB, Oklahoma

16-17 — Fargo, North Dakota

23-24 — North Kingstown, Rhode Island

30 — Battle Creek, Michigan

July

1 — Battle Creek, Michigan

7-8 — Ypsilanti, Michigan

14-15 — McConnell AFB, Kansas

21 — Pensacola Beach, Florida

28-29 — Bozeman, Montana

August

4-5 — Seattle, Washington

11-12 — Hillsboro, Oregon

25-26 — Indianapolis, Indiana

September

1-3 — St. Louis, Missouri

8-9 — NAS Oceana, Virginia

15-16 — NAS Brunswick, Maine

22-23 —Millington, Tennessee

29-30 — Salinas, California

October

6-7 — San Francisco, California

13-14 — MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

21-22 — Forth Worth, Texas

27-28 — Muskogee, Oklahoma

November

3-4 — Jacksonville Beach, Florida

9-10 — NAS Pensacola, Florida

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds begin their 2007 season at Luke Air Force Base on March 24- 25.

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels begin their 2007 season in El Centro, Calif., on March 10.

Although the pilots are often the face of the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, many others work behind the scenes to support and maintain the jet teams.

The Blue Angels C-130 transport “Fat Albert.” The aircraft helps shuttle crews and material between air shows.

For More Information

Thunderbirds' Home Page
Blue Angels’ Home Page

F-16 “Airplane of the Month”
F/A 18 Blue Angels Hornet
F/A-18 “Airplane of the Month”