Thunderbirds soar over Altus skies

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Megan E. Acs
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  In the recent days, Airmen of the 97th Air Mobility Wing have been compelled to leave their desks to investigate the vicious roars they've heard around the base. They search the sky intently for the mysterious red, white and blue sky-beasts.

The Thunderbirds landed at Altus Thursday, and, in preparation for the Wings of Freedom Open House, they zoom around, practicing their various maneuvers before they're set to entertain. The pilots fly U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets which weigh roughly 25,000 pounds when fully fuelled and can travel up to 800 knots calibrated air speed, which equates to around 1,500 miles an hour.

"If you could tip this jet on the tail and put it to full afterburner, it would likely take off as a rocket. It's capable of speeds up to two times the speed of sound," said Maj. Curtis W. Dougherty, a pilot for the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron. "That would break a lot of the glass here locally, so we will not be going any faster than about 550 to 600 miles an hour."

Even though the pilot is part of an elite and highly admired team, Dougherty remains humble, excited to simply talk about the importance of other Airmen.

"The cool part about being a Thunderbird is we fly the F-16s and we maintain the F-16s but we represent every pilot, every Airman, every person in the service, doing the job of protecting our country," said Dougherty, who continued on to give credit to not only the other Thunderbird pilots, but everyone else involved with the team. "We aren't just twelve officers. We are a hundred and twenty total people who get out here to do this job, to tell the stories of all the Airmen around the globe."

Dougherty said that the thing he enjoys most about being a Thunderbird is going to different places and talking to the people he meets.

"They're typically very excited," he said. "They have fun being a part of the air show experience."

When discussing the ups and downs of Thunderbird life, Dougherty said that the most difficult part of his job is the constant travel. The team spends a lot of time on the road, away from their families back at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. However, while the travel can put a strain on the pilots and their families, Dougherty was quick to say that the reward of accomplishing the Air Force's mission makes the stress more than worth it.

Dougherty expressed nothing but admiration, respect and humility when talking about his job, and about all other Airmen around the globe.

"We're excited to be here," Dougherty said, grinning ear to ear as he spoke. "It's fun to go out and put a face on the Airmen around the world, doing the jobs you and I do day in and day out."