Lt. Col. Wright, In 1999, the T-Birds flew in Jackson, MS at Sky Parade. I was in the audience there and the following Monday, started my enlistment process in the USAF. Now 13 years later, I'm an avionics Tech. on F-16/MQ-1 RPA's because that show inspired me to make more out of life. I'm submiting a package to become a Thunderbird, and I never got the chance to say thank you for the inspiration. You guys have much more of an influence than you can possibly imagine. Thank you!
To settle a dispute I read in the comments... The maneuver was the Calypso Pitch (before it was named the Reflection Pass). As you can see, when I roll inverted my map case lid comes open and allows everything to fall out onto my canopy. #6, Joker, sees it happen (because, yes... we can see each other very clearly) and says, "Looks like a garage sale in there." To which I respond... with the bird. Appropriate at the moment. wilbur - Lead Solo - 1999-2000
+Darrell Parkhill Thanks Darrell! I spent a long time on that maneuver even though very few people appreciate the complexity and difficulty of it. When I took over the profile it was flown as an arcing maneuver with an apex up around 500'. That was even more boring. So I practiced over 6 months to flatten it out at 150'. It was very difficult to keep it flat while smoothly blending the flight controls to prevent kinking the smoke trail. All the while fighting ground rush at 450 knots during the middle half of the maneuver. It's still flown flat today, but from my observations, many of the solo pilots still struggle with it to make it perfect. It's a testes tester.
Holy crap the precission of those snap rolls are insane. Amazing pilots. That on where the pilot snapped hard left, stayed a split second, snapped rolled inverted, then snapped back to the right and then right side up, just wow
Glad you enjoy it! Sure wish I had the cameras then that the pilots today have. They can take some incredible footage. But you gotta add some imagination to it too!
afbound, thanks for your message. i'm an '87 grad from USAFA that had dreams of becoming a tbird since age 7... and it happened for me -- so it can happen to you too. Aim High and hit the sky. wilbur (solo '99/'00)
LOL tbird solo...this video never gets old. I have a feeling it will continue to stand the test of time. Long live Phase II and all shit hot SOLO's! You're still "The King of the Slow Roll" my friend.
I believe the sign at 1:20 is him giving the bird, when all the papers falls on to the cockpit, the #6 pilot said, "nice yard sale." the opposing solo saw it all.
To translate the military speak in to cilivian Foreign Object Debris (FOD) or loose objects is something the USAF tries to limit very much both in and around aircraft, which really makes this video quite funny. Especially, seeing a high profile unit such as the T-Birds with FOD violations. In the T-Birds defense they do push their aircraft hard through the manuver sets. Thanks for posting, Tbirdsolo!
Nice vid, especially the last blooper part of not strapping in tight, ha ha. Real classic. Sad thing though u guys couldn't come to Singapore to perform occassionally though. You have a huge fan base here. I had to travel once a year to catch u guys perform in the States but it was worth every cent.
Very nice video! You guys truly are the best and I know that this part of your service to your country was icing on the cake! Most of us can only imagine what that kind of flying actually feels like...
Battle Creek was an awesome time and you guys were hosts second to none! I'm still in touch with several people from that show over the '99/'00 seasons. I have to agree... I think we flew a better show back then too. But we were a lot more experienced than the team today... typically 1000 hours per pilot more experienced. The guy in my back seat was our Flt Surgeon (#9), but he has since gone to pilot training and is now flying F-15s in England. I'll tell Fifi that TalonDriver said Hey.
The FOD issue is common in all fighter aircraft. The lapbelt scene at the end on the other hand is a new problem. It looks funny when the lapbelt came undone but a military pilot from Canada crashed his jet not long ago when the same thing happened during a training flight. An investigation has shown that the Lap Belt used in both the F-16 and the Canadian CT-114 is failing due to problems with the latch assembly. Canada has since grounded the aircraft until the problem is solved.
oh, okay. yes, i was a tbird. i made this video when i left the team in 2000. obviously, i had several instances of fod in my cockpit, so i made the video to center around that... hopefully, in a humorous way. the "unstrapped" guy was our flight surgeon on his very first sortie with us. he is in my backseat on this sortie and this clip is from the routine fod check that i would do every sortie to check for loose items in the cockpit. little did i know that my back-seater would be the fod!
United States Air Force Thunderbirds wear blue g-suits. That is what I found about the Thunderbirds, that was from the last two years (2007-2008) All I know about is the Air Force because that is what I'll be doing real soon, and I don't waste my time learning about the other services!! (jokingly of course :D)
drive2xs... glad you enjoyed the video. you're right... we tried to avoid FOD at all costs. But sometimes the velcro on the map case just wouldn't hold up!
I love this video... during the McChord AFB Air Expo in July of this year I captured a couple of shots of debris on the canopy during the inverted passes by the #5 pilot that made me think of this video. :)
The T-birds (like the Blue Angels) have two solo pilots who do opposing passes as well as some "unique" formation passes. This is done while the Diamond formation sets up for their passes.
Generally, as the #6 became more comfortable with the maneuver, he would get closer thereby making the tail-on-tail "hit" easier. By the time this clip was recorded, Joker probably had wingtip overlap so our fuselages were maybe10 feet apart.
I dunno about the thunderbirds but the blue angels do NOT wear G-Suits becasue the inflation of the suit could move their wrist and cause them to screw up and they fly at such tight tollerences that they can not afford to have any movement. Part of their requirements for acceptance are withstanding max G's without a G-Suit, they get tested twice a year on it.
Not a fake vid. But it's cool that you think it is. It's a collection of clips from the 2000 season. Many are from Vandenburg AFB... hence the same rwy area. I didn't post this for safety awareness either... it's just a fun video... and it shows what sometimes happens in the cockpit that the crowd is never aware of. Believe me... my safety nor the safety of the spectators were never compromised.
WOOHOO!! now that's flying!! but don't those guy's learn to put there stuff somewhere so that it can't bother them?? (just kidding, that's really funny, especially that last guy XD)
Thats just common FOD in the cockpit, although it is more than normal. I think the pilot just noticed it and flicked that off because the pilots cannot see each other in that maneuver.
Great clip!and the song... Perfect!! and Yes when i give this vid link my friends in Indonesian airforce said 'so funny! and it happened to them too' not a problems... anyway, permission to download this clip sir!? if i have yours. if not i just put it on my bookmark. 5stars! vid alltheway!. Thanks and Godbless.
holy hell, unbelievable, for the level of skill they have, and the unbelievable lack of security!! hell, fod is one of the biggest killers of pilots nowadays, the little object that the pilot doesn't recognise could have so easily gotten jammed in to a control!! man, the guy that aint fastened in properly, lucky lucky lucky, there have been cases of misfires of the canopy, he could have so easily died! either way, can't wait to see them at RIAT in the UK this year!! XD
Are there any social media platforms you have? I have strong interest in becoming a military aviator and it is cool to see someone share their story through such a well known platform such as the Thunderbirds.
IHEX continuing on, it is not something many have the chance to see/witness but once behind the closed door they critique each other & themselves. I'm sure tbirdsolo would echo my words if he so choose to. Your threats of a possible inquiry will never get beyond 2 ft. of your front door. Enough said.
Love this video, even though its old thanks for putting it up. Im the #5 for the FSX Thunderbirds. Watching videos learning the demo and the parameters to fly them. Thanks again for your service. Cheers.
The F-16's a superior airshow jet to the A-model Hornet, based on acceleration and turn rate. It's too bad the Thunderbirds don't take advantage of the fact.
Hey man, I like your mission statement. Good- we need more opions from people who are knowledgable/ been there- Not chumps and chumpettes who get their info from watching Iron Eagle III like hexjumper.
@blueagle84 so ur saying u never seen someone give the bird while ther thumb is extended? and if ur saying its a sign..who is he showing it to? #6 cant see it becuz #5 is inverted
If true very cool...however as the internet is "so trustworthy" if you indeed were the viper driver, what does the digital BU and BIT switches do on your FLCS panel?
not exactly. it makes it so they cant see the ground because they will have a higher tendancy to drift towards it. it also increases ammount of blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
1HEX, I do not see what you find wrong with this tbirds video compilation. If there had been anything done wrong during "any" practice demo's or air show demo's that this or other five pilots deemed unsafe or flirting w/ danger it would have been brought up & dealt with during their flight de-briefing. I am sure Thunderbirds carry on a intense/detailed pre-flight & post flight de-briefing like the Blue's do.
Lt. Col. Wright,
In 1999, the T-Birds flew in Jackson, MS at Sky Parade. I was in the audience there and the following Monday, started my enlistment process in the USAF. Now 13 years later, I'm an avionics Tech. on F-16/MQ-1 RPA's because that show inspired me to make more out of life.
I'm submiting a package to become a Thunderbird, and I never got the chance to say thank you for the inspiration. You guys have much more of an influence than you can possibly imagine. Thank you!
Lee, how did your application to the Thunderbirds go?
Solos rule.
The guy in the seatbelt scene went on to graduate top of his class in pilot training and now flies the F-22 Raptor.
To settle a dispute I read in the comments...
The maneuver was the Calypso Pitch (before it was named the Reflection Pass). As you can see, when I roll inverted my map case lid comes open and allows everything to fall out onto my canopy. #6, Joker, sees it happen (because, yes... we can see each other very clearly) and says, "Looks like a garage sale in there." To which I respond... with the bird. Appropriate at the moment.
wilbur - Lead Solo - 1999-2000
😂😂
0:45 Folks, you are witnessing the absolute BEST slow roll in the business...
+Darrell Parkhill
Thanks Darrell! I spent a long time on that maneuver even though very few people appreciate the complexity and difficulty of it. When I took over the profile it was flown as an arcing maneuver with an apex up around 500'. That was even more boring. So I practiced over 6 months to flatten it out at 150'. It was very difficult to keep it flat while smoothly blending the flight controls to prevent kinking the smoke trail. All the while fighting ground rush at 450 knots during the middle half of the maneuver. It's still flown flat today, but from my observations, many of the solo pilots still struggle with it to make it perfect. It's a testes tester.
Like butter
No kidding! He maintained tight altitude and threaded that runway all the way! Awesome flight skills!
I watched this as a baby and watching it in 2019 is full of memories
Holy crap the precission of those snap rolls are insane. Amazing pilots. That on where the pilot snapped hard left, stayed a split second, snapped rolled inverted, then snapped back to the right and then right side up, just wow
Yes,... this is my video. I made it as a going-away video for my teammates in 2000... Something each of us did before leaving.
You rock! I took the liberty of using this clip in FOD training I developed for my employer. Our people love it! Thank you!
D Wood you’re welcome! Glad to see it’s still being enjoyed and being put to good use!
Incredible flying and then at 1:20 man, I about broke a rib laughing! That is AWESOME!!!
Okay just making sure I dont say this to the wrong guy: You had the most badass job on the planet and id like to be there in a few years.
I first saw this video 7 years ago and ive just returned to my aviation craze and this video is a masterpiece, thanks!
Glad you enjoy it! Sure wish I had the cameras then that the pilots today have. They can take some incredible footage. But you gotta add some imagination to it too!
@@tbirdsolo its alright for a clip from the 2000’s and the quality sure adds to the nostalgia.
It's funny watching all of your stuff go to the top of the canopy haha.
Awesome video. Love the sense of humor too. Thanx for posting.
afbound,
thanks for your message. i'm an '87 grad from USAFA that had dreams of becoming a tbird since age 7... and it happened for me -- so it can happen to you too. Aim High and hit the sky. wilbur (solo '99/'00)
LOL tbird solo...this video never gets old. I have a feeling it will continue to stand the test of time. Long live Phase II and all shit hot SOLO's! You're still "The King of the Slow Roll" my friend.
I believe the sign at 1:20 is him giving the bird, when all the papers falls on to the cockpit, the #6 pilot said, "nice yard sale." the opposing solo saw it all.
literally everything about this video is great
To translate the military speak in to cilivian Foreign Object Debris (FOD) or loose objects is something the USAF tries to limit very much both in and around aircraft, which really makes this video quite funny.
Especially, seeing a high profile unit such as the T-Birds with FOD violations. In the T-Birds defense they do push their aircraft hard through the manuver sets.
Thanks for posting, Tbirdsolo!
These pilot's must be seriously fit people as well as being unbelievably well coordinated. Takes years to be this good.
Nice vid, especially the last blooper part of not strapping in tight, ha ha. Real classic. Sad thing though u guys couldn't come to Singapore to perform occassionally though. You have a huge fan base here. I had to travel once a year to catch u guys perform in the States but it was worth every cent.
tbirdsolo, Brilliant, FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY! Thank you very much.
Very nice video! You guys truly are the best and I know that this part of your service to your country was icing on the cake! Most of us can only imagine what that kind of flying actually feels like...
Battle Creek was an awesome time and you guys were hosts second to none! I'm still in touch with several people from that show over the '99/'00 seasons.
I have to agree... I think we flew a better show back then too. But we were a lot more experienced than the team today... typically 1000 hours per pilot more experienced.
The guy in my back seat was our Flt Surgeon (#9), but he has since gone to pilot training and is now flying F-15s in England.
I'll tell Fifi that TalonDriver said Hey.
The FOD issue is common in all fighter aircraft.
The lapbelt scene at the end on the other hand is a new problem. It looks funny when the lapbelt came undone but a military pilot from Canada crashed his jet not long ago when the same thing happened during a training flight. An investigation has shown that the Lap Belt used in both the F-16 and the Canadian CT-114 is failing due to problems with the latch assembly. Canada has since grounded the aircraft until the problem is solved.
Being on the back seat of the leading solo jet during a show .. is this an impossible dream or what :/
Song 2, by Blur, excellent song, excellent vidéo, thanks a lot!
oh, okay. yes, i was a tbird. i made this video when i left the team in 2000. obviously, i had several instances of fod in my cockpit, so i made the video to center around that... hopefully, in a humorous way. the "unstrapped" guy was our flight surgeon on his very first sortie with us. he is in my backseat on this sortie and this clip is from the routine fod check that i would do every sortie to check for loose items in the cockpit. little did i know that my back-seater would be the fod!
Awesome video! But I'm still amazed at all the "stuff" that slams up against the top of the canopy when they go inverted. Kinda funny, actually.
This is the best video I have seen in a long time,...
To the pilot: You, my friend, are awesome.
i'll see you guys at vegas. thunderbirds rock
United States Air Force Thunderbirds wear blue g-suits.
That is what I found about the Thunderbirds, that was from the last two years (2007-2008) All I know about is the Air Force because that is what I'll be doing real soon, and I don't waste my time learning about the other services!! (jokingly of course :D)
Fantastic video, really hope you could put together another video with some more fantastic cockpit footage!
he looked funny when his lap belt wasnt secured
LOL!
Good times! Excellent video.
LOL! haha, practically is. He just gives it the bird...priceless.
tbirdsolo is flying as the leader for patriots, the slot pilot is another former thunderbirds pilot
Understood. I will take you on your word. Very cool video indeed and thank you for your service.
A Thunderbird will typically log 1000 hours in the F-16 during his/her tour with the team.
drive2xs... glad you enjoyed the video. you're right... we tried to avoid FOD at all costs. But sometimes the velcro on the map case just wouldn't hold up!
must be the best job in the world!!!!!!!!
I Love jets!:)
No, the F-16 is still in a vertical climb executing aileron rolls. I believe that maneuver is done at full military (non-afterburner) power
I love this video... during the McChord AFB Air Expo in July of this year I captured a couple of shots of debris on the canopy during the inverted passes by the #5 pilot that made me think of this video. :)
awesome video, sir. great choice of music.
If I remember right, the author of this video has a couple a2a kills in the F-16.
They do : in the canopy. Come on man, it's fun XD
Yeah, they're called leading edge flaps, and they're automatically repositioned depending on the maneuvers you're doing.
Its a Fighter or a Supermarket ???
Thats crazy !!!!
Nice Video
i saw the Thunderbirds in Guatemala, i liked it, hey i want to be in the back seat, jejeje
The T-birds (like the Blue Angels) have two solo pilots who do opposing passes as well as some "unique" formation passes. This is done while the Diamond formation sets up for their passes.
I don't remember if we did the Houston show in 2000. I'd have to go back and check our old schedule.
FOD = Foreign Object Debris (or Damage)
Generally, as the #6 became more comfortable with the maneuver, he would get closer thereby making the tail-on-tail "hit" easier. By the time this clip was recorded, Joker probably had wingtip overlap so our fuselages were maybe10 feet apart.
Dang dude that was frekin awsome
I dunno about the thunderbirds but the blue angels do NOT wear G-Suits becasue the inflation of the suit could move their wrist and cause them to screw up and they fly at such tight tollerences that they can not afford to have any movement. Part of their requirements for acceptance are withstanding max G's without a G-Suit, they get tested twice a year on it.
LOL AT:
0:38
1:10
God I love Thunderbirds, they have humor and skill and everything.
w0ow.! i went to see them yesterday here @ Puerto Rico.! xD it was great.!
lol taste the rainbow dude. I wish you guys where coming closer to AL this season.
Holy Cow, great video!
I'm pretty sure AF policy allows In-N-Out Burgers... and Tootsie Roll Pops. -wilbur
Not a fake vid. But it's cool that you think it is. It's a collection of clips from the 2000 season. Many are from Vandenburg AFB... hence the same rwy area. I didn't post this for safety awareness either... it's just a fun video... and it shows what sometimes happens in the cockpit that the crowd is never aware of. Believe me... my safety nor the safety of the spectators were never compromised.
Haha, i guess the guy with the Lap Belt is also cockpit FOD.
WOOHOO!! now that's flying!! but don't those guy's learn to put there stuff somewhere so that it can't bother them?? (just kidding, that's really funny, especially that last guy XD)
Thats just common FOD in the cockpit, although it is more than normal. I think the pilot just noticed it and flicked that off because the pilots cannot see each other in that maneuver.
such skills! Awesome!
Yes they do. They pull more G's than the typical F-16 pilot so it is required.
I think he is just pointing at his "ejected" stuff. But yes, we can interpret it that way :D
Great clip!and the song... Perfect!! and Yes when i give this vid link my friends in Indonesian airforce said 'so funny! and it happened to them too' not a problems... anyway, permission to download this clip sir!? if i have yours. if not i just put it on my bookmark. 5stars! vid alltheway!. Thanks and Godbless.
hey wibur i heard that you are flying the albatross with another thunderbird nice job on the calypso pass. you shuld do a l-39 thunderbird show
haha 0:40 he's just like "WTF?"
looks like the f-16 needs a glove compartment!
Thanks for the response Wilbur!
holy hell, unbelievable, for the level of skill they have, and the unbelievable lack of security!! hell, fod is one of the biggest killers of pilots nowadays, the little object that the pilot doesn't recognise could have so easily gotten jammed in to a control!! man, the guy that aint fastened in properly, lucky lucky lucky, there have been cases of misfires of the canopy, he could have so easily died!
either way, can't wait to see them at RIAT in the UK this year!! XD
lol who was that with the lap belt thats so good!
super video
Thats funny stuff. I am going to give the Doc so much crap next time I seem him. See ya in precontact...
Awesome, I've always wanted to get a shot of that, do you have them posted anywhere?
Are there any social media platforms you have? I have strong interest in becoming a military aviator and it is cool to see someone share their story through such a well known platform such as the Thunderbirds.
Coolest video clip on CZcams!
Was that a skittle? Awesome video.
IHEX continuing on, it is not something many have the chance to see/witness but once behind the closed door they critique each other & themselves. I'm sure tbirdsolo would echo my words if he so choose to. Your threats of a possible inquiry will never get beyond 2 ft. of your front door. Enough said.
Radio Example during Smoke Disable:
ThunderBird 6: "One and Two and Three and Go and **click**"
huh?
hahahhaha at 40 hes just like "what the hell!?"
Love this video, even though its old thanks for putting it up. Im the #5 for the FSX Thunderbirds. Watching videos learning the demo and the parameters to fly them. Thanks again for your service. Cheers.
he was a passenger, some F-16 models come with a back seat
haha... i was laughing my ass off @ 01:15
@Crayola076 He has to use his left hand to flip him off .....his right hand is on the stick
holy cow xD good one!
Thanks...
thanks man
whats the white stick thing at the end with crap on it? im thinking its something to do with not throwing up but idk.
haha, i think he is flicking off the FOD
he was probably scared out of his mind!
hahaha, love from 2:05-the end hahaha
The F-16's a superior airshow jet to the A-model Hornet, based on acceleration and turn rate. It's too bad the Thunderbirds don't take advantage of the fact.
Hey man, I like your mission statement. Good- we need more opions from people who are knowledgable/ been there- Not chumps and chumpettes who get their info from watching Iron Eagle III like hexjumper.
@blueagle84 so ur saying u never seen someone give the bird while ther thumb is extended? and if ur saying its a sign..who is he showing it to? #6 cant see it becuz #5 is inverted
I was there on the first day (Saturday) it was cool, wasn't it?
I would be more like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Thanks,... and best of luck to you.
If true very cool...however as the internet is "so trustworthy" if you indeed were the viper driver, what does the digital BU and BIT switches do on your FLCS panel?
not exactly. it makes it so they cant see the ground because they will have a higher tendancy to drift towards it. it also increases ammount of blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
Oh yea... one more thing. It wasn't a skittle. If it was... I would've eaten it.
1HEX, I do not see what you find wrong with this tbirds video compilation. If there had been anything done wrong during "any" practice demo's or air show demo's that this or other five pilots deemed unsafe or flirting w/ danger it would have been brought up & dealt with during their flight de-briefing. I am sure Thunderbirds carry on a intense/detailed pre-flight & post flight de-briefing like the Blue's do.