Thunderbirds to Salute Colorado Healthcare Workers Saturday

Last Saturday, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds conducted a series of flyovers in Las Vegas, honoring those on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. The flyovers took place over several Las Vegas area hospitals, saluting healthcare workers, first responders, and the whole Las Vegas community. Fans took to social media following the flyovers, thanking the team for their support and service.

Thursday, the Thunderbirds announced that they would be conducting another series of community flyovers this Saturday, this time over Colorado hospitals and communities. The flight path will take the Delta formation over Boulder, Buckley AFB, Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Carson, Fort Collins, Greeley, Longmont, Loveland, Pueblo, and Windsor. Within these communities, the flight path will primarily target hospitals, as a salute to the healthcare workers who have been fighting the coronavirus over the last several weeks.

Saturday’s flyovers will be an addition to the Thunderbirds’ previously planned appearance at the U.S. Air Force Academy Graduation, which was moved up to April 18 after originally being planned for May 28. The team will be conducting a flyover of the commencement ceremony, and our guess is it will be worked into the flight path accordingly. Last week, the team flew non-stop from Las Vegas to Colorado Springs and back for a practice flyover of the U.S. Air Force Academy. They conducted the flyover in their Super Delta formation, which is an eight-jet formation as opposed to the usual six, so don’t be surprised if we get that again on Saturday. While the graduation is taking place in person for the cadets, friends and family will not be able to attend and will instead view the ceremony online. However, Vice President Mike Pence is flying to Colorado to honor the graduating cadets in person.

With the team’s 2020 show scheduled cancelled through the beginning of June, we have to appreciate these limited public appearances by the team as they maintain readiness for an eventual start to the 2020 show season. As of now, the team’s first public demonstration is scheduled for June 13 in Ocean City, Maryland.

We’ll be providing updates on Saturday’s flyovers over the next 48 hours, so be sure to stay tuned to our website, social media, and mobile app for the latest updates.