How the magic happens: Constructing the Thunderbirds show

Each of the precise maneuvers the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform takes hundreds of hours of practice, precise coordination and very concentrated pilots.

Practice makes perfect for the shows, and it starts back at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in the conference room in the Thunderbirds hangar.

As the six pilots sit down for their pre-brief, they begin going over the practice plan.

It’s about a half hour, talking the weather, what to expect while practicing and even going through the motions of all their loops, rolls and passes.

“The moment those pilots step out the door you’ll hear us scream and clap for them,” Tech. Sgt. Ken Cordova said.

When the pilots finish their meeting, they walk out to the flight line for what the team calls “shake and bake,” where the pilots salute each member of the team on the flight line, and exchange specialized handshakes with them.

As each pilot straps in for their flight, they exchange a few minutes of conversation with their crew chiefs and then it’s up into their F-16s.

On the day’s practice schedule, a high show. Meaning the team has at least 8,000 ft. of clear air to perform all the loops, rolls, and passes in their arsenal.

They can also perform a low show for when the weather doesn’t allow for enough airspace.

“If we don’t have that minimum weather than we’ll take it down to a low show, where we can’t do the loops but we’ll still have all the rolls and a few other maneuvers we’ll throw in that you don’t normally see in a high show,” pilot Maj. Alex Turner said.

If even less airspace is available, a flat show is performed where they’ll do as many maneuvers as they can with the space they have.

But no matter which show is performed, the crowd is in for a treat.

“The Thunderbirds show is built to always have a maneuver happening in front of you,” Turner said.

But to make each maneuver absolutely perfect, it takes some coordination from Thunderbird No. 1, Lt. Col. Jason Heard, most commonly referred to as “boss.”

“Some people accuse the boss of singing on the radio,” pilot Maj. Nick Krajicek said. “But all of that comm (radio communication) has a specific measure and degrees of movement of say the throttle or the flight controls.”

The communication and practice help not only to create the signature Thunderbirds maneauvers, but also to keep the pilots safe.

“We typically fly five to six flights a week and it takes that fear away and it takes things that are dangerous and it moves it more towards a point where your constantly getting better and your mitigating that risk,” pilot Maj. Ryan Bodenheimer said.

The pilots perform the impressive maneuvers flying the F-16 which is a fly by wire aircraft. The sidestick only moves about a quarter of an inch, with a constant 30 pounds of pressure.

The jet is physically demanding, it takes focus and concentration to keep flying through the taxing G-forces.

“The focus we apply as Thunderbird pilots is the exact same focus that we apply as combat Air Force fighter pilots,” Turner said. “From day one you are trained to focus, and that focus builds over time.”

With each flight the team lands home a bit better than they started, allowing the Thunderbirds to come back tomorrow and do it all again.