Washington is gearing up for America’s big birthday. The celebrations include flyover demonstrations to honor the nation’s military on the Fourth of July.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds are part of the mix.
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Members of the squadron landed their signature red, white and blue F-16s at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Tuesday, ahead of this weekend’s celebrations.
Their trip had length and included a patriotic exit as they left for the D.C. area.
“We started at home at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was about a four hour flight,” said Maj. Brandon Maxson, who flies Thunderbird 3, the third plane in the six-jet formation.
“We actually got to fly over the Hoover Dam one more time … They’ve got a huge American flag flying,” Maxson said.
Thunderbirds are used to air show demonstrations across the country, but they’ve made some slight adjustments for Saturday’s celebration.
“For us, takeoff and landing is about 37 minutes, and then this weekend, we’ll be flying for about thirty minutes,” Maxson said.
But they’ll be plenty busy until then.
“We’ll be practicing two times, Thursday and Friday, leading up to our performance on Saturday,” Maxson said.
But you might see them around town between now and then.
“We’ll be running a table at the American State Fair as well as some other community outreach opportunities,” Maxson said.
Precision flybys and jaw-dropping aerial formations are only part of their work. Another facet is inspiring the next generation.
“I always wanted to fly airplanes,” Maxson said.
“I do not come from a military family, but the Air Force was a good opportunity to learn how to fly.”
He learned to fly a variety of jets along the road to joining the Air Force’s demonstration squadron.
“I’ve been flying for over 10 years now,” he said.
“I actually learned how to fly the F-16, just for the Thunderbirds. This is my second year on the team … And this is my first year in the demonstration as the right wing pilot in the demo.”
His advice to kids who have their eyes on the skies.
“It’s a long road. You might be told no multiple times along the way. Keep the chin up, keep working hard and anything is truly possible,” he said.
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