Thousands of island residents attended the Andersen Air Force Base's 2009 Air Show today. They fly all around the United States and across most of the world.
Major John Bauh is a Thunderbird pilot from Long Island, New York, and told KUAM News, "The best part is being able to travel the world. We are on our fourth stop of our Pacific tour this year, making sure we can come to places like Guam so the people here can see our air show."
The Thunderbirds fly F16 fighters, which can dance, race, and dart out into the clouds leaving all who bear witness in awe. Solo and in formation, the men and women who fly and maintain the thunderbirds say that their mission is to show off a range of aerobatic maneuvers that the F16s are known for.
Thunderbird pilot Major Anthony Mulhare (who goes by the call sign "Split") says his father was a pilot and he could fly before he could drive. Split said the adrenaline rush from the speed that the f16 can generate in a few seconds is like nothing else you can imagine. "Have you ever been out in a thunderstorm and seen the lightning strike and then five to six seconds later you hear the thunder? We can go faster than that we can go twice that fast."
Asked how long it takes to ascend the aircraft to 15,000 feet, Split said, "It will take us about 10 seconds."
The F16 aircraft that the Thunderbirds use travel with at the Andersen Air Show today, and in order to even sit inside the cockpit it's essential that you go through egress training, where you go over every single possibility you could encounter while in flight.
Said Split, "It's very physically demanding on your body, you are sweating, you are pulling up to 9 times the force of gravity several times in a row. It's intense, your heart rate is jacked through the roof."
But while these planes painted in red white and blue represent freedom , they were created for combat, which is a reminder that freedom comes at a price. "The F16 is a combat-capable jet, and there are F16s right now flying over Iraq and Afghanistan carry bombs and rockets to attack things on the ground, we can also carry missiles to shoot down other airplanes," said Split.
But ultimately, the Thunderbirds are performers. They inspire little girls and little boys who look at their midnight blue uniforms and gaze up at the miraculous aerial formations in awe. Special Selection Chief Mike Dougherty from Pennsylvania deals with avionics, weapons and back shops. He has served in the Air Force for 16 years.
He said, "The young kids, to be able to touch them and let them know they are very capable of completing any dream they want to pursue."
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