Dozens of families gather to watch Thunderbirds flyover at Air Force Academy graduation

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- More than a hundred people spent the morning in a parking lot near the Interquest exit on I-25 waiting eagerly to see a Thunderbirds flyover.

Social distancing requirements related to COVID-19 did not deter folks from supporting the Air Force Academy 2020 graduating class.

Dozens of families and their furry friends sat in or near their cars to watch.

“It’s outside and we can enjoy such an awesome view and be a part of something that is really patriotic," Sarah Stiehr said.

Stiehr and her family came down from Parker for the chance to see the Thunderbirds for a first time.

“Having two boys this is a pretty awesome moment for them," Stiehr explained.

An Air Force father, Rex Manship, watched his son graduate from the Academy in 2007. He says he knows what cadets and their families are missing today.

"I'm sad that the kids can't have their parents there," Manship said.

Everyone KRDO spoke with said the social distancing requirement practiced during the Thunderbirds flyover doesn't take away from the pride Americans feel for the new graduates.

“These kids are going to protect us, our country. And they’re our leaders, our future leaders, and stuff," Manship said. "Out of one of these academies here, we might have our future president.” 

With 2020 balloons in hand, one Air Force family cheered on their sponsor cadet from a distance.

“It’s sad not to be right with them and give them a big hug and to miss those big special moments," Liz Nieboer. "But you know, this is just the real world. And in the Air Force, flexibility is the key to airpower. So, we’re doing what we can.” 

Following the graduation ceremony, the Thunderbirds embarked on a flight down the front range as a salute to first responders working on the frontlines during the pandemic.