Thunderbirds meet Air Force legend

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Randy Redman
  • Thunderbirds Public Affairs
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. --  The heritage of the U.S. Air Force is filled with heroes -- many of whom Airmen can name quite easily, including Wilbur and Orville Wright, Jimmy Doolittle and Chuck Yeager.

Although he may not be quite as well known, Col. Bob McCormick's efforts in the 1950s helped change the face of aviation forever.

Now retired and living near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Colonel McCormick attended Eglin's 75th anniversary open house and air show April 10, sporting a bright blue flight suit, and with the patch he designed, Colonel McCormick proudly represented his legacy as one of the original Thunderbirds.

At 82 years old, he described the first days of the team when he met the current team of Thunderbirds at a social event held for the air show performers and organizers at Eglin AFB.

"Back then, there were a lot of different (air demonstration) teams all over the place -- some in Europe, some in the Pacific, and just about every base in the U.S.," Colonel McCormick said. "I was a member of the Sabre Dancers back in '53 when they asked me to be the spare pilot for a new team at Luke."

He said they chose to put the newly formed team at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., because they had more planes than anywhere else.

"They were flying up to 400 sorties a day, so we never had to worry about having enough airplanes ready to fly," he said, adding that he was trained to fly in multiple positions before he was asked to fly the slot position permanently.

"They only gave us three weeks to get ready, and the first performance we did was in front of the Chief of Staff for the Air Force," Colonel McCormick said. "There was a lot of pressure to get it right."

They were successful, and when the official name was chosen for the newly formed organization, it was Colonel McCormick who went into the caves in the desert near Luke AFB to research the Native-American deity known as the Thunderbird. According to folklore, the Thunderbird made thunder by flapping its wings, and had the ability to hurl lightning from its place in the sky. The colonel did a pencil rubbing on the cave walls to use as the design for the Thunderbirds' patch, which has changed very little over the years.

Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, the team's current commander and leader spoke with Colonel McCormick, and said it was an honor to meet one of the original team members.

"Colonel McCormick and the other original Thunderbird team members set the standards by which we now live and breathe," Colonel Cunningham said. "It is a real honor for our team to have the opportunity to meet a real American hero."

The Thunderbirds are in their 57th year of performing air shows and representing the Air Force to millions of fans worldwide. This year the team is scheduled to perform 73 shows in the United States and Canada.