Hey Dudley, How did the T-Birds get started?

Bob Chilcoat wrote:
Here is the "History" of the Thunderbirds from their website, which I
referred to above. As you can see, this starts with the first jet team.
What about earlier days?
--
Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)


In 1947, while the jet age was still in its infancy, military aviation was
hurtled into the future with the creation of the U.S. Air Force as a
separate service. Just six years later, on May 25, 1953, the Air Force's
official air demonstration team, designated the 3600th Air Demonstration
Unit, was activated at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

The name "Thunderbirds" was soon adopted by the unit; influenced in part by
the strong Indian culture and folklore of the southwestern United States
where Luke is located. Indian legend speaks of the Thunderbird with great
fear and respect.

For the 2005 season, they opened with a taped segment played over the
PA
system. The segment was a "Thunderbird Tale" told by an "Indian"
character.
Maybe bad karma caused the "bumping" on 8/20/05.

JG

Orvil

----clip----

There was a group called the "Acrojets," which flew F-80s in the late
40s/early '50s. I believe that there was also an F-86 team in the early
'50's, too.

I was stationed at Willie Field 1949-1953.

The AcroJets were a part of the Instructor group and gave performances
for graduations at Willie and at other Air Force Bases all over the
US.

Their initial birds were F-80A/B's. They then received F-80C's and
flew them well into Korean era. After the combat losses in Korea the
C's were pulled and sent to Korea and the Acrojets then started using
T-33's.

One of the Team Leaders was Sid Woods. Some of the wing men we

Bruce Carr. He was shot down in a P-51 in ETO and stole a
FW-190 and flew it back to England.
..

Smolen. He was Air attach' in Venezuela and was hijacked. He
talked his way out and took the authorities back to
where he was held and they caught the bad
guys. He was known as a big mouth at
Willie.

He also was leading a flight in Africa and
got lost in a sand storm and all bellied
in.

Think he flew #4?

Can't remember the others.

Jr Snyder flew a T-6 solo routine. There was one T-6 on field with
magnesium wings that flew like a charm. I touted Jr on it and his
routine improved a lot )

Last time I saw Bruce was at a reunion in San Antonio where he and I
knocked off a gallon of Vodka for lunch.

Oh to be young and invincible again.

Big John

(Paul Tomblin) wrote in
:


I'm pretty sure that planes went supersonic at low level at the air
show at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto when I was a
kid....

Depends when you were a kid :-)

A friend's dad took us to the CNE airshow in the 60's (probably '64 or '65)
and I'm sure that a couple of RCAF CF-104's did a low supersonic pass. I
remember that was one of the big things our group of 10 yr olds was waiting
for.

Rob