Elite jet squadrons meet up again

NAF EL CENTRO — The U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds and their red, white and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons landed Wednesday morning at NAFEC and will remain here until March 3 to train and compare notes with the Navy’s Blue Angels squadron.

In preparation for the annual air show season, the two teams will be exchanging information, trading best practices and sharing lessons they’ve learned with each other.

Both teams are in the middle of their winter training cycles and will not conduct performances. However, training flights with similar profiles to the air show routine will be conducted in accordance with annual training objectives, a news release stated.

Based on his experience here last year, Maj. Kyle Oliver, the Thunderbirds’ opposing solo pilot, concluded that the desert land surrounding NAFEC is an “ideal environment” for flying.

Oliver, who pilots the Number 6 jet, said he felt that this week of training will give himself and his team the chance “to be able to put our skills to the test.”

The Thunderbirds are based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, which has, Oliver noted, conditions similar to those of NAFEC.

The Blue Angels’ Number 7 pilot, Lieutenant Julius Bratton, praised the weather found here.

“When you come here in the winter, you’re just completely spoiled,” he said. “From a pilot’s perspective, this is exactly what you want to be flying in.”

Bratton explained that this week of training with the Thunderbirds “will allow us to compare and contrast what we do,” he said.

“And see what we could do better,” he added.

While NAFEC has been the winter home for the Blues since 1967, it was only until last year that the Thunderbirds-Blue Angels collaboration here began. The Thunderbirds visited NAFEC for four days of training in 2020.

Bratton recalled that the Blue Angels’ 2020 air show season consisted of only nine performances at five different sites across the United States.

The Number 7 pilot said this year’s show schedule looks fairly intact all across the country, as there have been only a few cancellations and reschedules.

The Navy team won’t be opening their season, as per tradition, with NAFEC’s annual Air Show, as the show won’t be taking place this year in precaution to COVID-19.

Instead, the team will be starting its season April 17 with a performance at the Sun N’ Fun Aerospace Expo at Lakeland, Fla.

In total, the Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 53 flight demonstrations at 28 locations across the United States and Canada.

This year, the Thunderbirds are slated to perform 49 times at 27 locations across the United States.

The Air Force squadron began its season Feb. 14 by flying over the Daytona 500 race at Daytona Beach, Fla.

Next, they are scheduled for a flyover March 7 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas.

PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA Lt. Col. John Caldwell, commander/leader of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, (left) speaks with Commander Brian C. Kesselring, of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, on Wednesday at Naval Air Facility El Centro.

PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA Leaders of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels converse with each other on Wednesday at Naval Air Facility El Centro.

PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA Members of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels greet each other on Wednesday at Naval Air Facility El Centro.

PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds pilots take their first steps on the tarmac on Wednesday at Naval Air Facility El Centro.

PHOTO VINCENT OSUNA The F-16 Fighting Falcons of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly in formation on Wednesday at Naval Air Facility El Centro.