CHEYENNE — For the past 72 years the Thunderbirds have been showing the people of Cheyenne exactly what the U.S. Air Force and its fighter pilots are made of.
“It’s one way we can not only recruit, but also give back to the public,” Col. Terry Holmes, 90th Missile Wing commander, said. “This is America’s Air Force.”
On Saturday, the Thunderbirds performed their annual Wings over Wyoming airshow. In a series of highly technical maneuvers, six pilots and a team of approximately 130 supporting service members work to not only demonstrate the pilots’ capabilities but inspire the next generation.
“Our mission is to recruit, retain and inspire,” Thunderbirds Public Affairs Officer Maj. Krystal Jimenez said. “So the demonstration is just a piece of what our team brings to each community.”
In 1953, F.E. Warren Air Force Base was the site of the Thunderbirds’ first-ever show; they’ve come nearly every year since.
“This air show is steeped in tradition,” Holmes said.
Holmes noted that the event also strengthens the bond between the state of Wyoming, specifically the city of Cheyenne, and the men and women of the 90th Missile Wing.
“Our history is inextricably linked,” Holmes said. “We’ve got a symbiotic relationship, and this is just another way to continue growing and keeping those bonds really tight.”
The Thunderbirds have been in town since Tuesday, flying over the rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days and connecting with the Cheyenne community.
“We’re really glad to be back in Cheyenne,” Jimenez said. “It kind of feels like home after your first year. And the community is always so welcoming, and we really appreciate that.”
Though Cheyenne holds a special place in the heart of the Thunderbirds, the team performs across the country.
Among the hundreds of people gathered to watch the Thunderbirds fly was Debora Fishpaw, a longtime fan of the Thunderbirds.
Fishpaw has seen Thunderbirds and similar performances from the Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds all across North America. Purely by coincidence, she began to see shows in the early 2000s and has been hooked ever since.
“At one show in New Jersey, we were sitting and the two planes were right in front of me,” Fishpaw said. “… I was right there, and I can’t get that out of my head.”
The pure skill it takes to navigate the sky and have the F-16s come so close to each other has always amazed Fishpaw. This year was her first show in Cheyenne.
Though the adults, like Fishpaw, can appreciate the show, it’s the herds of young kids running around the base who are awestruck by the pilots and their dizzying loops through the air.
The hope is that those kids are inspired, whether it be to become a pilot one day or simply to appreciate all the armed forces do for this country.
“I remember when I was around 8 or 9 seeing an air show in New Jersey,” Wings over Wyoming Air Show director Maj. Andrew Carpenter said. “That’s why I’m here today. I thought that was super cool.”
Seeing the kids’ eyes light up when they see the Thunderbirds is a real highlight of these events. The show also gives people a unique opportunity to get out on base and engage with not only the Air Force, but each other.
“You might meet somebody you’re sitting next to that you never knew before,” Carpenter said. “So people come out here for a common cause, and it just really helps the Thunderbirds and all of us kind of recruit and inspire.”