By Cindy Christy Fertsch
You may have heard a loud roar over your home last Monday evening. There was need to be alarmed. Soaring overhead was The United States Air Force Thunderbirds. The squadron landed at the 177th Fighter Wing in Egg Harbor Township, Monday August 16th.
The Thunderbirds are considered the pride of the Air Force, demonstrating both their skill and their incredible capability of the Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter jet, the F-16 Fighting Falcon.
Thunderbirds pilot, Major Zane Taylor recalls how he first saw the Thunderbirds when he was only four or five years old and was so awed that he knew at that moment, he wanted to fly.
It may be the dream of many children, but what does it take to ultimately become the United States Air Force Thunderbirds Pilot? “It took a good record and A LOT of motivation,” replied Taylor. “It begins with job proficiency. You cannot apply until you are very experienced. Then you compete with your peers.”
Before becoming a Thunderbird, Taylor graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he majored in Systems Engineering. He served as an F-16 evaluator pilot, Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. and logged more than 1,700 flight hours, including more than 280 combat hours over Iraq and Syria.
The Thunderbirds team consists of 8 pilots, 4 support officers, and 130 enlisted personnel. “The training season is four months long and is grueling with hundreds of flights,” shared Taylor. “It takes a long time to get good at this and it is a perishable skill.” The remaining 8 months of the year is spent traveling and performing at Air Shows throughout the country.
During the 2020 pandemic, however, most shows were canceled. “I remember I was driving to the airport to go to our first show of the year when I got the call it was canceled and I thought ‘this isn’t looking good.” said Taylor. “We went home and did what everyone else did. Then we brainstormed and came up with the America Strong flyovers concept.”
America Strong was a collaborative between the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds to recognize healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential personnel working on the frontlines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We flew over 248 hospitals and 13 large metropolitan areas,” said Taylor. “It was hugely impactful not only for our team but for the nation as a whole. It was also the most any Thunderbird team worked in collaboration with the Blue Angels since 1953.”
During 2020, the Thunderbirds also redesigned their air maneuvers for the first time in nearly 40 years. “That wouldn’t have been possible without the downtime created by Covid-19,” said Taylor.
“We wanted everything in the show to have a purpose,” said Major Zane Taylor, “we minimized the dead- time. The new show is fast paced and is designed to tell a story and relate to the audience on an emotional level.“
One of the most challenging and tight formations is right at the beginning. “It looks benign but is position-dependent with the planes as tight as 18 inches apart,” said Taylor. “We want the crowd to see the power and capability of the United States Air Force.”
