Photo: USAF/Staff Sgt. Andrew Sarver
An unnatural sight, true, but no less spectacular. Two simple words that perfectly describe the feelings one gets when looking at a bunch of F-16 Fighting Falcons painted in America’s beautiful colors, sitting upright while under the control of aerobatics pilots.
The U.S. Air Force (USAF), its personnel and its assets are bottomless troves of incredible images that keep getting released, and for this Sunday we chose for our Photo of the Day feature another pic showing a glimpse of the exploits the USAF’s Thunderbirds were responsible for earlier this year.
When thinking about airplanes, even ones belonging to aerobatics teams, the first image that comes to mind is that of a machine flying horizontally, or performing this or that stunt. What does not come to mind, however, is full vertical flight, the kind of which we get to see during rocket launches.
For the Thunderbirds, that’s a usual occurrence, though. We see them in the latest USAF image as they are shooting straight up above the Abbotsford International Air Show in Abbotsford, British Colombia, all the way back in August.
Only four of the five planes wearing the colors of the American flag all over their bodies are seen flying in the same way, with the fifth, the one furthest out, trying to break away from the exciting formation.
The Thunderbirds had a very busy year in 2022, but the shows are not over yet. This month, the team will be attending four different air shows, starting in Huntington Beach, California, and ending in the last days in Sanford, Florida.
This year’s edition of the Abbotsford International Air Show was the first one to be held since the pandemic began two years ago. It was declared by its organizers a success, despite some issues caused by increased traffic in the region.
When thinking about airplanes, even ones belonging to aerobatics teams, the first image that comes to mind is that of a machine flying horizontally, or performing this or that stunt. What does not come to mind, however, is full vertical flight, the kind of which we get to see during rocket launches.
For the Thunderbirds, that’s a usual occurrence, though. We see them in the latest USAF image as they are shooting straight up above the Abbotsford International Air Show in Abbotsford, British Colombia, all the way back in August.
Only four of the five planes wearing the colors of the American flag all over their bodies are seen flying in the same way, with the fifth, the one furthest out, trying to break away from the exciting formation.
The Thunderbirds had a very busy year in 2022, but the shows are not over yet. This month, the team will be attending four different air shows, starting in Huntington Beach, California, and ending in the last days in Sanford, Florida.
This year’s edition of the Abbotsford International Air Show was the first one to be held since the pandemic began two years ago. It was declared by its organizers a success, despite some issues caused by increased traffic in the region.
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