Vintage Thunderbirds and....

[Victor Archer]

Here's a couple more from the archives.
Want to see some F-4's?

[Race 22 Crew]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Would love to see the F-4 T'Birds... I like the blacked out tail on the slot aircraft.

Thanks,
Warren

[blacksheep]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

DO you know the story behind the blacked out tail on the slot aircraft?

According to what I've read is that the t-birds fly such a flat diamond formation the slot aircrafts tail is in the exhaust of the lead plane . They used to keep it scrubbed clean then fianally deceided it was a badge of honor and left it blackened

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

My Dad was with the 1470 Photo and mapping group based out of Palm beach Florida he has photoes of thunderbird in F 100 and F84 thoes are cool shots all the Best Shawn

[Victor Archer]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Here's one for you. Taken in June 1969.
More to come as I find the time.

[speeddemon]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Here's one for you. Taken in June 1969.
More to come as I find the time.

Okay...this is going to sound REALLY GEEKY....but I think the date might be wrong on that, Vic.

I'm really trying to work the Random Access Memory of the ol' brain here, but....from '68-70, they used 'Gothic' font numerals. From '71-73 they switched to "Clarendon" font numerals (which is shown in the pic.)

I may be bass-ackwards on this, though...because once they switched to the T-38's in '74, they went with the Gothic numbers again.

Regardless.....LONG LIVE THOSE PHANTOMS!!! As far as I'm concerned, the T-Birds and Blues will 'always' be represented by those F-4's. Must be some sort of 'imprinting', like those geese who thought the ultralight was it's mommy! :-)

[Race 29]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Vic,
I think the second F-100 photo is accually of another team. I think they were called "The Starblazers" or something like that. I could be wrong, I just seem to remember reading about them somewhere.

An interesting side note to the F-4's. There's one of the original Thunderbird F-4's on display at the Castle AFB museum. I think the story was that when they recieved the Phantom, it was painted in National Guard colors. After researching the serial number to find out the history of it, they discovered it was a Thunderbird. It's on display in it's Thunderbird colors. The first time I ever saw the Thunderbirds was at Mather AFB when they were in the F-4's, around '69, or 70. I was only five or six, and I remember they were LOUD! Just like many of you out there, I've never given up the dream of becoming a Thunderbird since that day! What can I say, I'm a Geek too!

Race 29

[speeddemon]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Vic,
I think the second F-100 photo is accually of another team. I think they were called "The Starblazers" or something like that. Race 29

By god, if you're not right on that. I wasn't paying attention to that thumb! That team was called the "Skyblazers", and it was essentially the USAF "Europe" demonstration team that co-existed in the 50's and early '60's with the Thunderbirds. They flew F-86's before they flew the Huns.

[Victor Archer]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Race 29 I was just testing you guys. The second pic is of the Skyblazers. That's why started the thread as Vintage Thunderbirds and.... I was woundering if anyone would notice.

Speed I think you got your fonts backwards. That F-4 shot is from a series of slides and their all dated Jun. '69

Here's one of the T-38's

[wingman]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Gee -- I feel like a real Newbie reading these threads -- I never saw any aero team in the Phantom. When I finally started airshows and Racing the 'Birds were in T-38s and the Blues in A-4s.

Makes me feel young again....

[T. Adams]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

I guess I'm too young too!

I did see them in Milwaukee in 1970, in the F-4's, but I was only 5yrs old and don't really remember anything. I did get to see them in the T-38's. I never saw the Blues until they were flying F-18's!!!

I know my Dad has a few slides from the 60's when they were fying the F-100's. I need to try to get a hold of them and scan them.

[kennsmithf2g]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Some more photos from the display at Chanute.

My earliest air shows were at Cleveland in the early 60's but the F4's are the earliest Thunderbirds that made a lasting impression on me.

I do remember that the local 60's Memorial Day parades used to get a jet, a F105C I think, from the ANG that would come in screaming and belching black smoke and flame out the back end just above the telephone poles and blast every ones ears out with a few passes. You could feel the heat from the exhaust if you were under where she would start pulling up! As a little kid, I thought that that was the best part of the whole parade!

TTFN....Kenn

[Section3guy]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

the t-38's is as far back as i can remeber that t -38 photo brings back memoreys of that day i saw them when i was a kid mather afb i think it was

[Leo]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

I remember the F-100's when I was a kid. Never saw the F-4's with either team unfortunately. When I got old enough to transport myself to shows the 'Birds were in the Talon and the Blues were in the A-4.

Anybody remember the "Four Horsemen"? They were a four-plane demonstration group that flew the C-130. My stepdad had several photo's (which we can't presently find) of them in action.

Leo

[Race 29]

Re: Vintage Thunderbirds and....

Whew!! I thought I was going to offend you by pointing out that those F-100's were Skyblazers, I'm glad you did that on purpose. I guess it's getting to be the season to pull out old photos and challenge each other like that!

S3g,
I'm sure I was at that same airshow! I saw the T-birds everytime they were at Mather in the T-38. I was a cub scout when the T-birds first switched to the T-38, and I remember an article in "Boys Life" about them just after they'd switch from the F-4. I can remember I was thinking "WHY"? Hey, I didn't have to pay for gas at the time, I just wanted to see big, loud jets!!

Race 29