A half century of lifting eyes toward the sky

Saturday, Feb. 24, 2001 | 10:22 a.m.

What: Thunderbirds Museum tour.

When: 2 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Where: Nellis Air Force Base.

Admission: Free.

Information: 652-9902.

A modest museum attached to a spotless airplane hangar on Nellis Air Force Base quietly attracted more than 10,000 visitors last year.

Two days per week, for about an hour and 15 minutes each day, the museum is open to men, women and children of all ages and backgrounds who have at least one thing in common -- they want to learn more about some of the bravest pilots in the world.

The museum is a tribute to the Thunderbirds -- technically, the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Squadron, a fleet of 11 F-16 fighter jets whose pilots have been thrilling audiences with daring feats for almost half a century.

Visitors should arrive at the visitor's center main gate (at East Craig Road and Nellis Boulevard) at 1:30 p.m. for the 2 p.m. tour. There they receive a temporary base pass and directions to the museum. (Private tours also can be arranged by calling 652-9902.)

"I've heard plenty about the Thunderbirds, and we've seen their air show," said Las Vegas resident Charles Bunce, who escorted some out-of-town friends to the museum recently.

Bunce is one of more than 315 million people who have attended more than 3,500 shows put on in all 50 states and 60 countries since the Thunderbirds were activated on May 25, 1953, at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. (The group held its first performance two weeks later.)

"The shows are more than aerial ballet," Staff Sgt. Jason Haag, Thunderbirds spokesman, said. "They demonstrate the skills of all Air Force pilots."

The squadron, which was transferred to Nellis in 1956, is beginning its 48th show season. Since its inception, about 250 officers have flown with the squadron, which routinely has about 140 maintenance personnel to keep the planes in top shape.

Haag noted that the museum was remodeled in 1998. "Before then, it was pretty disjointed," he said.

The walls of the small facility are lined with photographs of the pilots, from the first (among them twin brothers, Capts. Bill and Buck Patillo) to those who are preparing for the 2001 season.

There are photographs of the eight generations of aircraft used in the program, which began near the end of the Korean War as a recruitment tool for the Air Force (which did not exist until 1947; prior to that it was called the Army Air Corps).

There are pictures of celebrities who have flown in one of the two two-seater jets the squadron maintains for special guests, such as former "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson, former quarterback Joe Montana, golf star Tiger Woods and entertainer Wayne Newton.

Also on display are citations, medals, trophies, news articles, busts, helmets and other paraphernalia.

Each museum tour begins with a 10-minute video about the Thunderbirds, which was called the Stardusters until a contest for a new name was held a few months after the unit's creation. The name Thunderbirds is derived from the "bird of thunder," a creature from American Indian lore.

After the video is shown (and before visitors get a close-up look at an F-16) there is a question-and-answer session, where tidbits about the Thunderbirds may be picked up. For example:

The show season runs from March through November. This year there will be 60 demonstrations in 29 states. Each show lasts about 75 minutes.

Thunderbirds practice from November to March at the range over Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field, 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The performers and support staff are away from home about 220 days a year.

The show has never been canceled due to maintenance problems.

Most pilots stay for two years, although some have stayed for a third year. There is a constant rotation of pilots and support staff, ensuring a mix of veterans and newcomers in the unit.

The shortest Thunderbird season was in 1974, when 35 shows were held in four months because of the high cost of fuel resulting from the Arab oil embargo.

As a result of the fuel crisis in the '70s the squadron began using the fuel efficient T-38 Talon trainer jets, the first time (and the last) that noncombat planes were flown by Thunderbird pilots. T-38s were used from 1974-82.

Four Thunderbird pilots were killed on Jan. 18, 1982, when their aircraft crashed during a training exercise at Indian Springs. They were flying T-38s. As a result of the tragic "diamond crash," as it became known, the squadron began using the F-16s that it still flies today.

Nineteen people, including 12 Thunderbirds support personnel, were killed on Oct. 9, 1958, when a C-123 transport plane crashed in Idaho.

The first black Thunderbird pilot was Capt. Lloyd "Fig" Newton, in 1974.

"Have there been any women pilots?" a person asked.

"No, but we have had women in maintenance," Haag replied. (The first female assigned to the Thunderbirds' team was Sgt. Sara Johnson in 1974.)

Haag explained that Thunderbird pilots must have a minimum of 1,000 hours of flight time and be trained for combat. Congress did not authorize women to fly in combat until 1992. He said it is only a matter of time before a woman is qualified to fly with the Thunderbirds.

"Are there any of the old barracks left from World War II?" William D. Schlaebitz, a retired architect from Lincoln, Neb., asked.

Schlaebitz, 75, took a recent tour to see if any remnants of the base remained from when he was stationed there for three months in 1944.

There weren't.

"I was training to be a bombardier-navigator," he said. "I'm just looking for something familiar."