Samantha Calimbahin
Major Kyle Oliver of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds take to the skies this weekend for the Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show — the event's 30th anniversary and first-ever drive-in show due to COVID-19.
We caught up with the pilot of the no. 6 jet, Major Kyle Oliver, who gave us a little glimpse of what life is like as a Thunderbird.
FW: First off, how do even you become a Thunderbird?
KO: It's a highly selective process. You submit an application with all of your flying records, fitness records, your performance reports from your history for the team to review, along with letters of recommendation that say, "This is who I am; this is why I'd like to be a Thunderbird."
You have to have at least 750 hours in your primary airframe. They make sure you've got the experience and decision-making down to execute these demonstrations safely, because it looks super dangerous; the formations are tight.
FW: What goes through your head when you're in the cockpit?
KO: I'm the opposing solo. The delta formation is all six aircraft altogether. Thunderbirds 5 and 6 are the solos, so we'll split off from the diamond.
I'm really focused on the timing of the show to make sure I'm in the right position in the sky, where I need to be, when I need to be. Focusing on my individual maneuvers. Left hand, right hand. How do I perform this maneuver technically? Other than that, it's focusing on formation maneuvers.
FW: Is there anything different about flying through the skies of Fort Worth versus another city?
KO: One hundred percent. What's incredible too is usually we fly the same airplane every day, but every now and then. we rotate airplanes, so you'll feel very minor differences in how we reach the aircraft handles.
But definitely, when we go fly out in Vegas on a hot day, the aircraft performance is nowhere near what it would be in Ohio in October. Temperature makes a huge difference; the altitude makes a huge difference.
Conditions can go from 110 degrees in Las Vegas to 70 degrees and super windy here in Fort Worth. It's definitely a challenge, but we do what we can to make the product as consistent and as awesome as possible.
The Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show takes place Saturday and Sunday at Fort Worth Alliance Airport. Tickets are sold out.
