Ok…one of my first airplane memories was when my dad took me to see the Air Force Thunderbirds at an airshow…this was back in the early 70’s. Anyone know what they flew at that time…I want to say the Sabre but I’m not too sure…would love to model it and find a vintage program to include with it…any help would be appreciated.
Mark
Early 70’s, they flew an F4E Pahntom. In '74, they switched to the T38 Talon.
Could have sworn it was a Super Sabre…
I do remember they were silver…
Mark
Before those aircraft, they flew the F-100 Super Sabre. Hope this helps.
1964>1969 ish;
I think that’s it!!..I remember a picture of it in the program…
I was born in '68…could have been '71 or '72
Mark
I saw the show… It’s Thunderbirds…GO!!!
Just kidding. I was born in '57 and distinctly seeing the F-100 in several shows but I’m pretty sure that by 1970 they had switched over to the Phantom. I’ve got a book upstairs I can check in . I’ll get back to you.
The Blue Angels were in the F-4 in 1968 and the Thunderbirds switched to the F-4 in the 1969 show season.
So EXCELLENT! So Historic! What a great memory to have… (seeing the Thunderbirds with F-100s)
THEEE First super-sonic airshow performer! I’m lucky enough to hang out most Sundays with my bud, Vern. Vern was ground crew cheif (electronics and instrumentation) for the Air Force’s Thunder Birds when they were ripping up the sky with the “HUN”… A euphamism for F-one-HUNdred.
He and I volunteer at the airplane museum and we both prefer to be “out in the yard” with the “collection”. A very humble guy, he doesn’t think it was any big deal… Completely blows me away, since it’s an extremely small fraternity of folks that get to do that, especially at the historic moment when the Air Force got it’s first super sonic airplane.
The Thunderbirds also flew F-105 Thunderchiefs for a very brief spell…
Interesting note:
He’s recounted a story were the wings flew off during an airshow performance! (no one was hurt)
The airplanes were rotated out of Viet Nam combat squadrons and flown with new paint jobs. They found out the mainspars were a bit too worn out to be doing high G, low altitude manuvers!
In the mid-80s I undertook a project of building a model of every airplane flown by the Thunderbirds. This included support airplanes. The models were displayed at an air show where they were performing. The team leader gave me a booklet tracing the history of the Thunderbirds.
I am looking at it as I write this.
The team flew the F-84G from 1953-1955 and F-84F from 1955-1956. In 1956 they went to the F-100C and used them until 1963. In May of 1964 the team switched to the F-100D and used them until 1968. During 1964 they briefly used the F-105B. In the spring of 1969 the team debuted using the F-4E Phantom II and used them until 1973.
In 1974 they switched to the T-38A and used them until 1983 when they started using the F-16A. From 1953 to 1960 the team used the T-33A as a support airplane. It carried the same markings as the team airplanes.
Support airplanes the team has used over the years include the C-119, C-123, C-54 and C-130.
My modeling project earned me a citation from the U.S. Air Force. It was presented at a ceremony where I was the “special guest.” I was proud to receive it and it still hangs on the wall of my hobby room. A story and numerous photographs of my Thunderbirds models project was carried as a three part series in another modeling magazine. Hope this helps you.
OMG! Wonderful acknowledgement for you! … I don’t use the adjective often (over used) but that is awesome.
I know they are hard to see in the backbround but the T-Birds are flying F-100s. this was taken at Littlerock AFB from the Ark ANG area.
This is the decal sheet for the C-130 that includes a support ship assigned from the 314th TAW at Littlerock.
These was taken at Burke Lakefront airport in Cleveland in 1973 when we took a C-5 from Dover for display.
I took these when the visited Littlerock in 1975/76:
LUV the pictures, thanks. So dang great…
Back in the 1970s with the first Fuel Crisis, the public concern of the military using up excessive amounts of fuel with their aerobatic demonstration teams, pressured the Air Force to abandon the Air Superiority Fighter (F-4) and replace it with training aircraft. That’s why they went from the Mamma-Jamma Phantom IIs to the demur T-38 Talon!
Amazing…Gordon…I would love to see that magazine article…what a great project
Mark
Thanks for the nice comments about my Thunderbirds project. Mark if you send me your address I’ll send you a copy of the stories. One thing I should have added to my story about the project. The team leader asked me if I would donate the models to the Thunderbirds for display at their base. I declined and still have them.
Gordon- Thanks for sharing that story, a great one indeed!
I remember seeing the Thunderbirds for the first time in the mid-80s with my Dad. I will never forget the performance, absolutely incredible!
I did part of my growing up at Nellis from 1966 to 1969- practiced basketball in their hangar, in fact, watching young Airmen with orbital buffers polish the Huns. Looked like a lot of fun. I saw their last show in F-100’s and then one of their first public shows in the Phantoms at the Air Force Academy graduation the following May after we moved to Colorado Springs. We were friends with one of the pilots who was our neighbor at Nellis, so we got a nice visit with the team after that show at Peterson Field. Great memories- the Huns will always have a soft spot in my heart- Dad flew them for a lot of his early Air Force career. They had a sound all their own when the 'burner kicked in.
If you saw a silver jet, it was the F-100 you saw. The F-4’s were white for a basic color.
Wow definitely some good memories and stories by all… You may have seen the F-105 b/c they transitioned to them for a brief time then went back to the Sabres…
Doing a little research, the Phantoms were used from their 69-73 season… Anywho, with a little diggin, I came up with a few pix of yours truly…[:P]
I first got introduced to the T-Birds when they were flying the Talon’s… Such a sexy mount for them…
These were taken back 8/13/80… And yup, thats my Dad lovin every minute of it… Can’t wait till I get a new scanner…[banghead]
Flaps up,
Mike
Rangers Lead The Way