A history of the Thunderbirds Air Force jet demonstration team

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 11 a.m.

- May 25, 1953: Thunderbirds activated at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Seven officers and 22 enlisted men are selected, flying F-84G Thunderjets in four-jet diamond formations. A fifth solo jet is added later.

- Dec. 13, 1954: Capt. George Kevil is killed during solo training at Luke.

- 1955: The team switches to the F-84F Thunderstreak, modified to include smoke tanks and red, white and blue drag chutes.

- 1956: The Thunderbirds move to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and add another jet. The team also upgrades to the F-100 Super Sabre, making it the first supersonic aerial demonstration team.

- Sept. 26, 1957: Lt. Bob Rutte is killed in solo training at Nellis.

- Oct. 9, 1958: A C-123 transport from Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina crashes in Plymouth, Idaho, killing 14 members of the Thunderbirds.

- March 12, 1959: Capt. C.D. Salmon is killed in solo training at Nellis.

- July 27, 1960: Capt. J.R. Crane, advance pilot and narrator for the team, is killed during a solo proficiency flight at Nellis.

- April 6, 1961: Maj. Robert Fitzgerald, commander and group leader of the team, and Capt. George Nial, advance pilot and narrator, are killed during training at Nellis.

- August 1963: President John F. Kennedy meets the Thunderbirds, and reportedly asks where the team got those "awful red jackets." The next day, Air Force commanders orders the jackets dumped.

- April 26, 1964: The Thunderbirds switch to F-105B Thunderchiefs. Two weeks later, Capt. Gene Devlin is killed when his jet breaks in two at Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco. An investigation finds a structural flaw, and the team switches back to the F-100 Super Sabre.

- Oct. 12, 1966: Maj. Frank Leithen and Capt. Robert Morgan are killed during a flight at Indian Springs Auxiliary Field in Nevada. Leithen was to have taken command of the field.

- 1969: The team switches to the F-4E Phantom II.

- Jan. 9, 1969: Capt. Jack Thurman is killed in solo training at Nellis.

- June 4, 1972: Maj. Joe Howard becomes the first Thunderbird pilot killed in a show while flying the right wing position at Dulles International Airport in Virginia.

- Dec. 21, 1972: Capt. Jerry Bolt and Tech Sgt. Chuck Lynn are killed during a flight test at Nellis.

- July 25, 1977: Capt. Charlie Carter, Thunderbird pilot and narrator, is fatally injured during maneuvers at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.

- May 9, 1981: Capt. Nick Hauck becomes the second Thunderbird pilot killed during an air show, at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

- Sept. 8, 1981: Lt. Col. D.L. Smith, commander of the Thunderbirds, is killed when his aircraft ingests seagulls and stalls while leaving Cleveland.

- Jan. 18, 1982: The "Diamond Crash" becomes the worst training crash in Thunderbird history. Maj. Norm Lowry, Capt. Willie Mays, Capt. Pete Peterson and Capt. Mark Melancon are killed while flying the famous diamond formation during training at Indian Springs.

- 1983: The team switches to the F-16 and remains with the aircraft through 20 years of modifications and upgrades.

- January 2002: "Let's Roll" is put on the Thunderbirds' fuselage to honor those lost in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

- Sept. 14, 2003: Capt. Chris Stricklin's F-16 goes down during a performance at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. Stricklin safely ejects, but some shows are canceled.