USAF Thunderbird is the most advanced and the most spectacular acrobat team in the world. Their maneuvers are beautifully designed and precisely executed. Their formation is incredibly close and tight at speed of hundreds of miles per hour.
One clumsy move will cause collision in the air and mishap did happen in the past. This job is not for fainted heart.
One new pilot joined Thunderbird. After the first flight, he asked the team leader" Do we really have to be this close?" What Thunderbird team did is way beyond test book or ordinary flight protocol.
This is one of the breathtaking move performed by Thunderbird: five jets go straight up. In the mid air, four of them split and turn upside down in different direction while one of them keeps going up at tremendous speed.
This is one of the pilots walking on tarmac after landing. Can you believe that? It is a she. Yes, she is a female F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot just performed those insane moves in the air. By the way, one of the ground crews is also a female officier.
Video and photos are big part of the air show. That male cameraman operates some serious heavy machinery to keep the vibration and unwanted movement to minimum. To be honest, my attention doesn't focus on that guy. Instead, that slim blonde with ponytail caught my attention. She is hot. It reminds me a famous Chinese phrase: 男女搭配，幹活不累。
Finally, Thunderbirds salute to the crowd and salute to WXC readers. The short pilot, third from right is female Thunderbird number 4: Lauren Schlichting.
