Thunderbirds are planning to train in Mojave
MOJAVE — It will be like an air show, every day, for Mojave residents when the US Air Force Thunderbirds come to town, in late January, for winter training at the Mojave Air and Space Port.
The Air Force’s air demonstration team will be in residence, from Jan. 23 to Feb. 4, for the second leg of their winter training, airport officials announced, on Monday.
“We are excited to welcome the Thunderbirds to the airport,” Tim Reid, acting general manager/ CEO of Mojave Air & Space Port, said in a release announcing the team’s visit. “This is an opportunity for the community to benefit both economically, but more importantly to inspire future generations, and we are excited to host the team.”
The airport’s mission, facilities and location make it a perfect fit for the team, he said.
The team visited Mojave, in September, on a scoping visit, putting three of their distinctly painted F-16 fighter jets through their aerial paces and meeting with the Mojave Air and Space Port team.
Their aerial exercises will require closing the local airspace to
other operations for two hours, each day, an hour in the morning and one in the afternoon, Reid said following the scoping visit.
In addition to providing visibility for the airport and a free air show for area residents, the Thunderbirds will purchase jet fuel from the airport during their stay, around 14,000 gallons per day, Reid said.
For comparison, in July, the airport sold 33,209 gallons of jet fuel in the entire month.
The Thunderbirds’ training season runs from November to March, and is primarily held at their home base of Nellis Air Force Base, outside Las Vegas.
This is the second year the team has deployed elsewhere for a portion of their training period, in order to simulate and troubleshoot flying over varied areas, as they will during their nearly 70 performances across the country during the air show season.
The team will be coming to Mojave following two weeks training at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
“Execution starts with training,” Lt. Col. Justin Elliott, commander and leader of the US Air Force Thunderbirds, said in the release. “This team represents a beacon of excellence and our pursuit of that is unrelenting. These practice reps will allow us to smooth out our rough edges so that we can give the very best of the Air Force each and every time
we perform. We’re grateful to Spaceport Mojave and Spaceport America for providing venues where we can practice privately and frequently to hone our skills to ultimately bring the pride, precision and excellence of America’s military to the world.”
Although this will be the first time the team has trained here, the Thunderbirds are no strangers to the Antelope Valley. Most recently, they thrilled the thousands of visitors to the Aerospace Valley Air Show at Edwards Air Force Base, in October.
The Thunderbird practices are not open to the public, although the jets will be seen and heard by the surrounding community.