Thousands of people are now on their feet, cameras are poised, children jump up and down in anticipation, the news media is on standby. The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Flight Demonstration Team rolls down the heat-shimmering runway and blasts away to create thunder in the sky.
At air shows around the world, the six F-16 jets with their distinct red, white, and blue Thunderbird insignia wow the crowd with cutting-edge aerial maneuvers. With unbelievable accuracy, the F-16s fly as close as three feet apart, and as low as 150 feet off the ground. Speeds can reach 500 miles per hour. The Thunderbirds demonstrate a boldness and beauty unmatched anywhere.
In the cockpit of Thunderbird #1, heading up the entire team, is a graduate of Wright State University, Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Thomas. He has earned the title “The Boss.” Each officer of the team serves for two years. When Colonel Thomas took command of the Thunderbirds at the Thunderbird Hangar at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.
He became the 32nd leader of the “Ambassadors in Blue. ”
He commands the squadron of 11 officers and more than 120 enlisted Airmen. “We show Americans what the Air Force does for them every day,” he says. “We can’t show them everything but we can demonstrate the pride, professionalism, and precision.” Colonel Thomas and his fellow Thunderbirds have performed for thousands of people around the world. At air shows in the summers of 2008 and 2009, the team performed in the Far East, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and across the continental U.S. The Thunderbirds were the headline act at the Dayton air show last July, bringing the largest crowd (80,000 people) in the show’s recent history.
The appearance of “The Boss” on The Colbert Report in June 2009 got much media attention, as Colonel Thomas charmed Steven Colbert while joining in the fun. It was all part of Colbert’s one-week special on the Iraq war. “Steven Colbert was a nice man,” reports Thomas.
Thunderbird #1 has met former President George W. Bush, Vice President Joe Biden, and a variety of other governmental leaders and celebrities.
Remembering his Wright State years
When Gregory Thomas was about to graduate from Anderson High School in Cincinnati, the time came to make a decision about college. “My brother went to Wright State, and it seemed like a good choice for me,” Thomas recalls. He began work on the degree he would earn in management information systems.His brother also talked to him about the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). “Before that, I had no intention of going into the military,” admits Thomas. “But when I became medically qualified for a pilot slot and received a scholarship, the decision was easy. I joined ROTC at Wright State my freshman year.” Thomas lived on campus his freshman year, then off campus for the rest of the time. One of his best memories was meeting the woman who would become his wife. Michele Sipes, a graduate of Centerville (Ohio) High School, was an education major at Wright State. “My roommate was dating Michele’s best friend, and that’s how we met,” he says. The future Thunderbird Commander enjoyed his time at Wright State and talks proudly about the education he received. “The professors were outstanding, and I really got a great foundation at Wright State,” he said. Thomas graduated from Wright State in December 1991, and entered the Air Force in 1992. He soon distinguished himself as an exceptional airman. He has logged more than 2,700 hours as an Air Force pilot, with more than 240 hours of combat experience. Before being selected to head the Thunderbirds team, Colonel Thomas was director of operations at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska.
In the cockpit
The Thunderbird squad began more than 50 years ago when the Air Force’s air demonstration team was activated at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, flying the F-84G Thunderjet. The name “Thunderbirds” was soon adopted, influenced in part by the strong Native American culture of the southwest. To demonstrate the most advanced air power in the world, Colonel Thomas and his team fly the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon, a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft.
Crowds roar their applause as the Thunderbirds perform maneuvers in tight formation—loops, extremely close passes, rolls, and very tight turns. A new maneuver, the brainchild of Colonel Thomas, was added to the performance: the Thunderbirds now perform a loop during take-off. Colonel Thomas himself was the first to try it out. “I had to analyze it at every aspect, including what could go wrong,” he reports. “Safety is always number one.”“The Boss” heads up the team in the skies and when the Ambassadors in Blue meet children from the Make a Wish Foundation, as well as other outreach efforts such as visiting hospitals and schools. “Representing the entire Air Force is a humbling opportunity and a huge responsibility,” he says. “The Boss” is on the road 235 days a year, away from Michele and their children. “But there are many military men and women who are gone from their families for a year at a time,” he points out.
Editor’s note: Lt. Col. Greg Thomas served as commander of the Thunderbirds for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He is now the 57th Operations Group Deputy Commander at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, the home of the Thunderbirds.
