After six months training in an unofficial status, the Thunderbirds were activated on 25 May 1953 as the 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke AFB, just west of Phoenix.[10]
The team had flown 26 shows by that August. The first team leader was Major Richard C. Catledge (1953–1954), and the first plane used by the unit was the straight-wing F-84G Thunderjet. Because the Thunderjet was a single-seat fighter, a two-seat T-33 Shooting Star served as the narrator's aircraft and was used as the VIP/Press ride aircraft. The T-33 served with the Thunderbirds in this capacity in the 1950s and 1960s.
The next year the Thunderbirds performed their first overseas air shows, in a tour of South and Central America, and added a permanent solo routine to the demonstration.[11] In the spring of 1955, under their second commander/leader (September 1954 – February 1957), Captain Jacksel M. Broughton,[12] they moved to the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak aircraft, in which they performed 91 air shows, and received their first assigned support aircraft, a C-119 Flying Boxcar.-Exerpt from Wikipedia
Specifications
Spotlights
- TheUltimatePlaneLover 3 months ago
- KPLBall 3 months ago
- MosquitowithaMachineGun 3 months ago
General Characteristics
- Predecessor Republic F-84 Thunderjet
- Created On iOS
- Wingspan 69.6ft (21.2m)
- Length 64.2ft (19.6m)
- Height 24.4ft (7.5m)
- Empty Weight 14,195lbs (6,438kg)
- Loaded Weight 23,057lbs (10,458kg)
Performance
- Power/Weight Ratio 1.461
- Wing Loading 18.3lbs/ft2 (89.2kg/m2)
- Wing Area 1,261.6ft2 (117.2m2)
- Drag Points 16969
Parts
- Number of Parts 389
- Control Surfaces 7
- Performance Cost 1,333
@JABH Thanks
Oh wow, that looks super cool, let me try it.
@KPLBall That would be awesome!
lemme just tag some people
@TheMouse
@TheUltimatePlaneLover
@JABH
@F16xl now make an F16xl and YF-12 hybrid
(JK, is joke)
@Mosquitowithagun I have more, but I’m saving one for election night, and then saving the others for before and after I go to sleep away camp
@F16xl crap
@Mosquitowithagun Prepare as this maybe gives me 4ish upvotes