GREGG K. KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARBULLETIN.COM
The U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team with its six F-16 Fighting Falcon jets were welcomed yesterday by a keiki hula halau at Hickam Air Force Base.
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Elite crew ready to dazzle Waikiki
The Air Force's Thunderbirds demonstration team needed nine pit stops at a flying gas station to fly more than 3,000 miles from Nevada to Hawaii.
The flying tanker -- crewed by members of the Hawaii Air National Guard's 203rd Air Refueling Squadron -- performed the last fill-ups at 2 p.m. yesterday, 530 miles northeast of Oahu. The tanker carried 24 civilians and members of the news media.
The six sleek F-16 Fighting Falcon combat jets will put on three air shows this week, beginning with two practice sessions over Waikiki at 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. today.
The grand finale will be at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The team will fly 30 combat maneuvers off the beach fronting the military's Hale Koa Hotel. The last time the Thunderbirds roared over Waikiki was in 1997.
Yesterday, the six jets were accompanied from Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas, where they are stationed, by two jet tankers belonging to the 171st Air Refueling Wing in Pittsburgh.
The host on the Hawaii Air National Guard tanker was Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Remington, director of air, space and information operations for Pacific Air Forces.
From 1988-89, Remington was a member of the Thunderbirds.
He recalled that one of the unique things that occurred during his two-year tour was that he was able to go to China.
"It was the first time any U.S. Air Force fighter flew into China," Remington said.
Remington said during his two years with the Thunderbirds the demonstration team "hit all 50 states."
"I met people from all walks of life, CEOs to just regular folks who wanted an autograph. It was a very rewarding experience."
He said the Thunderbirds' routine hasn't changed that much since then.
The six jets still fly 30 combat maneuvers during the air show. The intricate maneuvers mean at times the jets are as close as 18 inches, he said.
However, the number of air shows have dropped a bit from 88 when Remington was a team member in 1988 to about 70 currently.
Once the six F-16 jets landed at Hickam Air Force Base, Remington made it a point to talk to Maj. Ed Casey, a 1995 Air Force Academy graduate who is flying the same position Remington had -- the lead solo or No. 5 slot.
GREGG K. KAKESAKO / GKAKESAKO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Three Thunderbirds flew in formation next to a KC-135 jet tanker belonging to the Hawaii National Guard after gassing up yesterday before landing at Hickam Air Force Base. The Air Force demonstration team needed nine pit stops to fly more than 3,000 miles from Nevada to Hawaii.
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That means during the air shows Casey will cross another Thunderbird flying 550 mph only 150 feet off the ground, but his jet will be inverted.
What does he think about flying over Waikiki upside down?
"It's something I am looking forward to," he said.
Casey said the Thunderbirds annually put on their air shows between March and November.
This year the Thunderbirds have visited seven countries in Europe.
The visit by the Thunderbirds is the centerpiece of the 60th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the Air Force as a separate military branch.
The boundary of the "show box" will begin near Magic Island, running more than 12,000 feet to a spot near the Waikiki Natatorium. It will be 2,700 feet wide and will start 1,600 feet from the beach, so surf spots are excluded.
The Coast Guard and the state Department of Land Natural Resources will patrol the perimeters to keep surfers and swimmers away.
The Federal Aviation Administration also has established a five-mile no-fly zone around Fort DeRussy Beach during the Thunderbird maneuvers.