Thunderbirds

“He who leaps for the sky may fall, it’s true. But he may also fly.”
― Lauren Oliver, Delirium

In my last post, I wrote about the wonderful Shaw Air Expo that I attended at Shaw Air Force Base, SC, last weekend.

The final demonstration for each day of the expo was

the U.S. Air Force Aerial Demonstration Squadron Thunderbirds performance.  I arrived at the Air Expo at 8:00 a.m.  The Thunderbirds performance began at 3:00 p.m.  I found that it was every bit worth the wait.

The show starts with a ground show.  It was very ceremonial.

Here is a pano I created of part of the ground show.

Following the ground show, the pilots prepared for take off.

From the time the jets took to the air, the audience was kept guessing what would happen next.  For most of the show, the jets travelled in one group of four and one pair.

Just when you thought you knew which direction they would come from, you would be surprised.

The audience was thrilled with each formation and approach.

As the show came to a close, all six jets flew in formation.

This last image may be my favorite from the Thunderbirds’ demonstration.

While photographing that day, one of my fellow photographers and friends said he preferred shooting these planes with a clear blue sky background.  I think I prefer the interesting clouds as in this last shot.

The demonstration by the Thunderbirds was an excellent way to end a spectacular day at the Shaw Air Expo.  If  you ever get the opportunity to see the Thunderbirds and attend an Air Expo at Shaw Air Force Base, I highly recommend that you do so.