U.S.A.F. Supersonic Thunderbirds {1967)

[Music] [Music] d [Music] NIS this is Thunderbird leader request landing instructions flight of four super Savers go ahead a Roger Thunderbird leader use Runway 02 winds light and variable altimeter setting 2 niner niner two over Roger Nellis TI request permission for a low pass over the field go [Applause] ahead permission granted welcome home Thunderbirds you never quite get used to the contrast do you saber here you're parked in your home Barn here it's quiet snug and restful at this moment you and F100 are just a static hunk of metal as are your teammates surrounding you what a difference from your active life in the air in your element when you and your mates take your place in the sun you are the Thunderbirds you knif the air like the super sabers you are 10,000 lb of thrust pouring from each of your tail pipes you climb in graceful Loops skim the ground like banshees on the war path turn and twist rise and fall your Skins are hot then cold it's wonderful this land life in the sky and while you ride the air the people below look and applaud like these Guatemalans just one of the many foreign groups that have watched the Thunderbirds perform then all too soon it seems the men who fly you bring you down another show is over sometimes like frisky Colts you don't want to stop moving then the ranger haul back in a chute like a restraining sea anchor brings you up short yes saber While You Like It Best in the air you also have to admit that you like the admiration of people especially the kids and once in a while Robbie that's the lead pilot lets one of the kids climb up and peek into his cockpit boy you should watch that kid he's out of this world in a supersonic no time at all but you're not together now are you saber now in this this closed hanger you're alone with only a cat for company it's hard for you to realize that you're only a machine while the pilots who fly you are human and need to relax to do the little things that mean so much to a man right now your slot man Sam is doing some fancy teamwork in his own backyard and Doug after showing off his baby's picture for weeks he's now handling the real article and that Bart lugging a box ever since he left Chicago wonder what's in that box whatever it is it better be four of a [Music] kind and Robbie he was the guy who was going to relax and have himself a ball he's having a ball all [Music] right it's morning and things are beginning to stir Sabers Time for Action stations hey Sarge forget all that poking and prodding never mind the rub down either saber says he's fine in the pink it's hard to imagine why anyone bothers talking to this guy never pays any attention his only concern is keeping the planes flying which I guess is the way it should be incidentally to give you an idea of the caliber of this kind of Maintenance not one show in over 400 has been cancelled due to Mechanical trouble couldn't find a better day for it could you Robbie ceiling unlimited visibility unlimited a few clouds to play around in that's right give them a full load of that jp4 juice they got a lot of flying to do it may be of interest to know that even after months and months of arduous training and practice the men always get together for a final briefing before going into the air and when they're satisfied it's only then that it's every man to his plane [Music] this little corner of America over which the Thunderbirds will fly today is half raw nature and half a monument to man's Mastery over his environment this is the country of the Grand Canyon Death Valley Mount Whitney here also is Hoover Dam and the vast man-made body of water backed up behind it Lake me this is a land of contrast this isn't a regular demonstration being flown today it's a practice session to see if the Thunderbirds can better some of their Maneuvers they do this once or twice a day for practically 365 days a year nothing new has been added it's just the idea that practice still makes perfect we'll start right off with a bang I should say boom how'd you like that this desert floor has heard louder booms than this I can tell you actually the Thunderbirds only produce Sonic booms on special occasions and over areas declared safe and clear now that we've proven the Thunderbirds can operate faster than sound watch them make a clover leaf turn up they go in a power climb up and up changing [Music] over then over the top rolling 90° floating across the top and down the back side and then playing the deck before the Thunderbirds do another maneuver I want to point something out notice how close together they are when they move into a diamond formation this is a real tight maneuver actually their wing tips overlap 3 ft and are separated vertically by a scat 5 ft only broomstick clearance so you will know how the Thunderbirds achieve this Precision I'm going to let you in on one of their Trade Secrets the pilots do it by watching the lead plane it's aial Follow the Leader that's what it is watch how this works when they do a roll here they come in a diamond formation now the lead planes left wing drops the others follow suit they're over on their backs and on around still maintaining the diamond but while the Thunderbirds take most of their cues from watching each other they don't operate in Dead Silence the leader talks his men into a feel for the maneuver they're performing it's like a director coaching his players listen to Robbie on the next couple of Maneuvers okay Thunderbirds let's do a loop we'll play the deck no is coming up okay I'm with the [Music] pull I on in topping the loop now ease it off let it float a little all right back in with the pull [Music] now let's use it off and play the de smoke off now okay gang this will be an in tril roll light on up with the nose and rolling let's make this a good one let it float across the top now ease it off we play the P out turn your smoke off now [Music] next maneuver on the program a vertical 360° turn object here is to turn in a tight Circle within a radius of half a mile at 600 mph it's like a dog chasing his tail it may not look it but this is one of the hardest Maneuvers the Thunderbirds perform G forces four or five times normal are exerted on the men if for example a man weighs 200 lb pound in this turn he's pressed up against his seat as if he weighed 1,000 lb the tighter the turn the more the gForce [Music] the boys are really showing us a workout today let's see what they can do with the bomb burst this by the way is my favorite maneuver here they go they break away from each other while climbing straight up and separate to the four four points of the [Music] compass then diving toward the ground they cross headon at speeds up to 600 mph or at a closing rate of 1200 mph I'm coming back on the power I'm right with you Robie you're riding a little low Sam okay chief pulling up to your level as the Thunderbirds fly home across this little corner of America this is a good time to think about what it all means this business of air power it's the Robbies the Dougs the Sams and Barts it's the men of the Air Force that add up to the big deterrent effect we have on any would be [Music] aggressor saber I and all of America salute The Men Who fly you and your kind [Music] [Music] [Music] I