Thunderbird lands in Lancaster

  • Published
  • By Rebecca Amber
  • Staff writer
LANCASTER, Calif. --  With a wind turbine-adorned mountain backdrop, U.S. Air Force Thunderbird #8 touched down in the Antelope Valley Jan. 9. Two members of the Thunderbirds team emerged from the F-16 Fighting Falcon for a press conference at the William J. Fox Airfield in anticipation of the 2015 L.A. County Airshow March 21-22. The Thunderbirds will be headlining the two-day show.

"Nothing like a little bit of jet noise to get your circulation going," said Mike Belzil, president of L.A. County Air Show Inc., as he opened the conference. Before that, volunteers from the community and more than 50 local Civil Air Patrol cadets, including Squadron 84 from Edwards Air Force Base, joined in a foreign object debris walk to ensure the flight line was clear of anything that may damage the F-16.

Belzil, along with Lancaster vice mayor Marvin Crist and senior deputy to L.A. supervisor Michael Antonovich, Norm Hickling, agreed that the air show is about bringing the community together. Hickling added that while last year's show was a "truly incredible endeavor," this year's is sure to be "bigger and better."

Maj. Scott Petz, Thunderbird #8 pilot, and his teammate conducted a thorough site survey that morning. Petz shared that he understood and appreciated the work being done to put the show together.
 
"I love being around aviation and aviation enthusiasts," said Petz. "I've been on your side, I've done the leg work...It's a ton of hard work, so on behalf of the Thunderbirds and myself, thank you for all the hard work...we really appreciate it."

Petz had dreamt of being a Thunderbird since he was age nine when he watched them perform at an air show in Elsworth, S.D. He flies in the Air Force Reserves. The Thunderbirds have "total force integration" meaning that active duty Air Force, Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard make up the flight demonstration squadron.

He learned to fly in a Cessna 150 in 2000 and tackled military aircraft just two years later. He has had flight time in the T-38, T-37 and F-16.

"I get to fly fast, I get to put on a flight suit," said Petz. "All roads have led to me being a Thunderbird. Now I get to go out and represent, recruit and retain. One of the things closest to my heart is going out and representing the pride and precision of the Airmen abroad, those Airmen being active duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard."

He noted that the payoff in an air show is sometimes hard to calculate because it comes in the form of inspiring children. But he was quick to note that joining the Thunderbirds is not for everyone.

"My buddies that I've flown in combat with and my buddies that I've been flying with in South Dakota or at Nellis AFB [Nevada] - for some of them it's just not their desire," he said. "Some want to achieve weapons schools, some just want to be awesome F-16 pilots and be combat aviators."

But, to the young pilots who do share his dream, he said, "the qualifications are out there, you know what it's going to take. It takes a lot of hard work. Take every day like it's a job interview; even when it's an early Monday and there's nothing going on, somebody's watching and going to know what kind of character you have."

The Thunderbirds perform in front of millions of people every year in communities like the Antelope Valley. Petz noted that the team works six days a week and never has "down time."

"We're busy, busy, busy and we train, train, train, because safety is the biggest paramount."

According to Petz, air show attendees can expect to see more than just pilots flying demonstrations.

"They're also going to see the precision and the pride of our maintainers, avionics personnel and communications personnel. It's not just a fighter pilot's world; it's not just the six pilots that are flying the jets. It is the whole package that it takes to make this happen. You've got maintainers that are precise. They come from the Combat Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Reserves. They wore green suits at one time also and now they're out there performing."

The Thunderbirds were formed in 1953, and since have been charged with demonstrating the professionalism of Airmen and the capabilities of modern airpower. The 2015 season marks the 33rd year the squadron has performed in the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Assigned to Air Combat Command, the squadron is composed of nearly 130 Airmen serving in more than two dozen Air Force job specialties.

The primary product of that teamwork is a Thunderbirds aerial demonstration, which includes approximately 40 maneuvers, featuring formation flying and solo routines. The entire show, including the beginning ground ceremony, lasts about one hour. A typical air show travel season extends from March to November.