All Air shows cancelled: Blue Angels, Thunderbirds grounded by sequester
Air shows cancelled: Automatic sequester budget cuts mean an end to the 2013 season for the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds. The real losers may be local economies benefitting from air shows.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels perform at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland last year. The Navy has cancelled the remaining 2013 performances of its Flight Demonstration Squadron. The Air Force Thunderbirds have cancelled the rest of their shows for the year as well.
Stelios Varias/REUTERS
Travelers across the US are pleased that furloughs for air traffic controllers have been cancelled. Aside from the usual delays for weather and maintenance problems, that means fewer hours trapped on the tarmac or looking for places to charge smart phones in airport terminals.
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But there’s another group of frequent flyers who’ve been grounded by across-the-board budget cuts due to the sequester: Navy and Air Force flight demonstration teams, those aerial hotshots whose main purpose is to enhance public relations, attract new recruits, and reflect patriotism with what’s been bumper-stickered as “The Sound of Freedom.”
There are plenty of other air shows around the country, such as the “Vidalia Onion Festival Air Show” in Georgia and the “Take to the Skies AirFest” in Durant, Okla. They just won’t feature the Air Force Thunderbirds or the Navy Blue Angels flying genuine fighter jets. Or the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team.
All three have cancelled their season.
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"The worst case is that they either cancel and go out of business, or they don't cancel and they have such poor attendance and they go out of business," he said. Economic impact studies indicate the shows are worth $1 billion to $2 billion nationwide, Cudahy estimates.
"Having the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels is like having the Super Bowl, it's a household name," Bill Walkup, manager of the Martinsburg, W.V. airport told the AP.
When the Thunderbirds performed there in 2010, the show drew 88,000 people. Without a jet team, the show typically draws 15,000 or fewer. When they learned there’d be no Thunderbirds, organizers cancelled this year’s show.
Thunderbirds spokesman Maj. Darrick Lee said a typical season averages about $9.75 million and the Air Force needs to focus its resources now on its mission in Afghanistan. Team members are still doing local public appearances that have little or no cost, including autograph-signing sessions at schools and other venues.
"Would we prefer to be flying? Of course," Maj. Lee said. But, he added, "We encourage folks to go and have a good time with or without us."
USAF Major Nicole Malachowski
Thunderbirds Team First Female Pilot
_________________________
F15E and F16C/D Fighter Pilot
My name is Nicole Malachowski, but my call
sign is "FiFi". I am a Major in the
Air Force and am currently serving as a White
House Fellow in Washington,
DC. Prior to this assignment, I flew an
F-16C/D as #3/Right Wing with the USAF
Thunderbirds at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas,
Nevada. I have been an Air Force
officer for 13 years, and a fighter pilot in the
F-15E for most of those years.
I'm married to an F-15E WSO (Paul).
I am a career fighter pilot in the Air Force. I
have flown the F-15E Strike Eagle
in three operational fighter squadrons, and
have over 1,000 hours in that
aircraft. I also have over 190 hours of combat
time. I’ve flown over 800
hours in the F-16C/D.
I've wanted to be a fighter pilot since I was 5
years old. I came from a
patriotic family, who always supported our
military. I went to an airshow
where I saw the F-4 Phantom flying, and fell in
love with the power,
technology, and grace of the plane. That's
when I decided to become a
fighter pilot. My parents always supported my
dreams, and they laid the
foundation for my being able to achieve them.
I was determined to fly from a very young
age...and made that choice during
a time when women were not allowed to be
fighter pilots. I did, at times, run
into people who were adamant that women
could not, or should not, pursue
a career as a fighter pilot. But, I always
actively stuck to my goals and chose
to surround myself with positive people who
believed in my dreams as much
as I did.
I learned to fly in high school at the North Las
Vegas airport. I received a
flying scholarship from the Civil Air Patrol
that
paid for all of my lessons
through my first solo in a Cessna 172. I have
flown a few plans: gliders,
Cessna 152, Cessna 172, T-37 Tweet, T-38
Talon, AT-38, F-15E Strike
Eagle, F-16C/D Falcon. I do not own my own
plane, but the Air Force lets me
borrow theirs. :)
It is very rare that a stranger believes I've been
a fighter pilot for my whole
career, let alone that I had the privilege of
flying with the Thunderbirds. Once
the initial shock is over...I often find
overwhelming positive support. At the
end of the day, most people are happy to see
someone achieve their dreams.
I've been blessed by the amount of
encouragement and support I have
received.
Q: What role do skills in Math, Science,
Engineering and Technology play
in supporting your job?
The training to be a fighter pilot is very
competitive, but it is very doable. I
received a college degree from the Air Force
Academy in Management, with a
minor in French. I must admit I'm not
naturally talented at math and
science....BUT it is necessary to being a good
pilot. Understanding the 3-
dimensional environment, and topics like
velocity, closure, momentum, G-
forces...are crucial to what I do. I've had to
work hard to understand them.
Fighter aircraft are on the forefront of
technology, and they are constantly
being upgraded. We must always study to stay
"up to date" on advances in
our career field. To be a pilot, I had to go to
Air Force pilot training for one
year, then to F-15E school for 10 more months.
My training to be a
Thunderbird was 4 months long. It all takes
work, but it is certainly worth it!
Q: What activities do you suggest for young
children or adults to prepare
them for a career like yours?
I am a huge fan of organizations like the Civil
Air Patrol (CAP) and Junior
ROTC programs. They can teach you about
the aerospace sciences, but the
also teach you crucial skills like leadership and
character development.
Here's my advice for anyone following a
dream:
1. Choose to do something you're passionate
about.
2. Pursue excellence in all you do.
3. ALWAYS surround yourself with positive
People!
The Thunderbirds have the privilege and responsibility to perform for people all around the world, displaying the pride, precision and professionalism of American Airmen. In every hour-long demonstration, the team combines years of training and experience with an attitude of excellence to showcase what the Air Force is all about.
The sharply choreographed, drill-style ground ceremony kicks off the demonstration by showcasing the attention to detail and esprit de corps that defines our enlisted members. As the jets take to the skies and fly only a few feet from wingtip to wingtip, the crowd gets a glimpse of the awesome skills and capabilities that all fighter pilots must possess. The solo pilots integrate their own loud and proud routine, exhibiting some of the maximum capabilities of the F-16 Fighting Falcon – the Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter jet.
The implementation of across-the-board cuts in federal spending has caused the curtailment of the Thunderbirds 2013 show schedule. Effective April 3, all of the team’s performances have been cancelled first time in history since the USAF Thunderbrid's and have ever been grounded .
The following is a list of air show locations that were previously on the Thunderbirds’ 2013 schedule: Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. – March 16-17 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic — April 6-7
Lakeland, Fla. — April 13-14
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — April 20-21
Latrobe, Pa. — April 27-28 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. – May 4-5 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Martinsburg, W. Va. — May 11-12 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Fairchild AFB, Wash. — May 18-19 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Jones Beach, N.Y. — May 25-26
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. – May 29
Rochester, N.Y. — June 1-2 (indefinitely postponed by obama organizers)
Joint Base Charleston, S.C. — June 8 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Ypsilanti, Mich. — June 15-16
Dayton, Ohio — June 22-23
Myrtle Beach, S.C. — June 29-30 (cancelled by obama organizers)
Battle Creek, Mich. — July 6-7
Kalispell, Mont. — July 20-21 (indefinitely postponed by obama organizers)
Cheyenne, Wyo. — July 24
Oshkosh, Wis. — July 31
Milwaukee, Wis. — Aug. 3-4
Burlington, Vt. — Aug. 10-11
Chicago, Ill. — Aug. 17-18
Overseas Pacific/Asia tour — Aug. 22 – Sep. 29
Rome, Ga. — Oct. 12-13
Cocoa Beach, Fla. — Oct. 19-20
Houston, Texas — Oct. 26-27
Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas — Nov. 2-3 (cancelled by obama)
Nellis AFB, Nev. — Nov. 9-10
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