OFFUTT AFB —Two airshows in two weeks, that was my plan when I saw the Blue Angels would be in Colorado Springs, followed by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds headlining the Defenders of Freedom Air Show.
Having just come off a successful photography expedition in Colorado, I was looking forward to the next airshow, which luckily for me was occurring much closer to home and in Nebraska.
This time my focus switched from naval aviators to the United States Air Force’s 57th Wing, more widely known as the Thunderbirds.
Created 71 years ago in 1953, the USAF Thunderbirds are the third-oldest formal flying aerobatic team in the world, after the French Air Force Patrouille de France formed in 1931 and the United States Navy Blue Angels formed in 1946.
The squadron’s name is taken from the legendary creature that appears in the mythologies of several indigenous North American cultures.
The Thunderbirds perform aerial demonstrations in the F-16C Fighting Falcon. The F-16 has been the demonstration aircraft for the Thunderbirds since the 1983 season.
The F-16 is a single seat, single engined multi-role fighter and differs greatly from the Super Hornets flown by the Blue Angels.
As much as I admire the blue-yellow contrast of the Blue Angels, the stark white with blue and red accents of the Thunderbirds is striking to see up close.
I cannot write this column without thanking my maternal uncle, Mike Renken, who served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a Master Sergeant in 2018. Today, he does civilian contract work for the USAF at Offutt Air Force Base.
My brother Jordan and I had planned to attend the Defenders of Freedom air show at Offutt on Aug. 24, but we wondered how we were going to navigate the shuttle bus system and get on the base in time to see the show.
Mike came to the rescue, being able to drive us to Offutt himself and secured us entry with his current credentials. We even found a parking lot within a stone’s throw from the airfield.
I heard horror stories of people taking two hours to get to the base or not being able to access it at all, so I was glad Mike was able to attend the show with us.
One of the demonstrations at the airshow was done by a F/A 18 Super Hornet. I had seen the Growler variant in Colorado Springs, but the demonstration at Offutt impressed me in several ways.
While the high speed passes are exhilarating, Jordan and I agreed that the low speed passes done by the fighter jets are the most technically impressive.
Looking like they were seconds away from falling out of the sky, the Super Hornet crew flew by at a shockingly slow 98 knots indicated airspeed at a steep angle of attack only a few hundred feet off the ground.
Later, the flight boss announced that the Hornet crew would be doing a “photo pass,” a high angle fly by mixed with a hard turn.
The result was nothing short of jaw dropping, especially when seen through a camera’s viewfinder.
While we had been at altitude in Colorado and there was little condensation appearing on the aircraft, the humidity was heavy at Offutt that weekend.
As the Super Hornet did its pass, condensation was ever present along the wings, a vapor core even appeared for a moment. The crew must have pushed the speed as close to Mach 1 and the sound barrier as they dared.
The Thunderbirds performance was the final of the air show.
While I had seen the Blue Angels airshow routine at Lincoln in 2023 and went equipped with that knowledge to Colorado Springs, I had not seen the Thunderbirds in action since I was a child.
I made my way closer to the flight line when the Thunderbirds were prepared to take to the air.
The professionalism and pride for the craft is on full display, with the ground crew members taking their stations in formation, with three members breaking off at each aircraft at a march.
The crews are then joined by the pilots who also break off at their aircraft and embark into the cockpit. Watching the pilots go from formal dress on the ground, to flight ready in a matter of minutes leaves an impression.
I focused my camera at Lt. Col. Nathan Malafa, the commander of the Thunderbirds who has the distinction of flying Thunderbird One, while he prepared for the flight.
The four ship formation took to the air while Thunderbirds Five and Six both took off from opposite ends of the airfield.
Much of the Thunderbirds’ display alternates between maneuvers performed by the diamond, and those performed by the solos. They have a total of eight different formations: The Diamond, Delta, Stinger, Arrowhead, Line-Abreast, Trail, Echelon and the Five Card.
All their maneuvers are performed at speeds of 450 to 500 mph
One of the most impressive sights is the four ship Diamond formation, when the aircraft are only separated by 18 inches. Panning shots of this formation flying by are some of my most coveted shots.
The sneak pass by the Thunderbirds got me, while the four ship formation moved from left to right and I was target fixated with my camera, one of the solo Thunderbirds was quick on their heels and flew by and wasn’t quiet about it.
It took me about two attempts to get a good crossing shot of Thunderbirds Five and Six, but finally on their penultimate pass of the show, I was able to get both of them in the center of the frame.
Nearing the end the Diamond pulls straight up into the vertical to perform the signature “Bomb Burst”, where all four aircraft break off in separate directions.
After attending two airshows in just as many weekends, to see the best that the Air Force and Navy aviators have to offer; I am glad I stuck to my plan to see both groups, no telling when both will be within driving distance of each other again in the future.
The photos I took are among my best aviation photos to date, shooting jets near the speed of sound is a bit different than photographing Air Tractors back home.
The push to improve my photography is ever present and I am glad I was able to put my skills to the test not be found completely wanting.
