Thunderbirds roar into Colorado Springs ahead of USAFA graduation

Just two days before the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation, the USAF Thunderbirds flew into Colorado Springs.

The Thunderbirds were conducting a site survey over the Academy Monday, but they gave a taste of their show to people who stopped alongside the road to watch.

In one of the crowds along Interquest Parkway was Tim Gorski. He’s in town watching his third child graduate from USAFA.

“Our oldest son graduated in ’09, our daughter graduated in ’15, and our youngest graduates on Wednesday,” Gorski said.

Gorski told us he almost came to watch the show last year even though his son wasn’t graduating just yet.

“It’s hard to explain to people that have never been to an Academy graduation. Everyone thinks it’s just a regular graduation, no it’s not. The second the Thunderbirds fly over, the goosebumps are immense,” Gorski said.

The performance is coming just weeks after Maj. Stephen Del Bagno died during a pilot training in April. He’s since been replaced by Maj. Nick Krajicek, who flew with the team last year.

Before Monday, it was unclear what kind of show the Thunderbirds would be performing in light of Del Bagno’s death. Over the weekend they performed their first show at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. Their Twitter page said, “This weekend, we safely resumed our 2018 Show Season at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. We’re honoring Cajun this year by continuing to share his love of aviation with all of you. This one’s for you, Big Cat.”

There weren’t any signature loops or rolls that some crowds are used to seeing, but that could have been because of the cloudy day.

The show did give graduating cadets and parents an idea of what to expect on Wednesday. For Gorski, who will be watching it for the third time, it still feels like the first.

“You can’t describe it, no matter how many times you see it, it never gets old,” he said.

The USAFA graduation ceremony starts at 9 a.m. Wednesday.