U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds wow crowd at Air Force Academy Graduation
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds came back for a strong performance flying over the Air Force Academy graduation Wednesday.
This is the second performance for the team since one of their own pilots, Maj. Stephen Del Bagno was killed in a crash during training last month.
“I don’t even know how to describe it, because you throw it up and it was perfectly timed. The Thunderbirds were right there and you could see it all framed through the hats,” One graduate described.
From the ground, the show appeared to be executed flawlessly.
The six pilots performed the flyover following the hat toss, then a roughly 30-minute show above Falcon Stadium.
The beautiful day was filled with blue skies, the perfect weather for the F-16 squadron’s demonstration.
A series of loops, rolls and passes were performed, and the entire stadium had their eyes trained on the Thunderbirds in the sky.
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“It’s unbelievable, it’s what I’ve been dreaming of for four years and it feels amazing and it’s unbelievable,” 2d Lt. Lake Lutes said.