Thunderbirds prep for Holloman open house

  • Published
  • By the 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Holloman officials are pleased to announce the United States Air Force's own Thunderbirds will be performing Oct. 8 at Holloman's Open House.

Thunderbird 8 advance pilot and narrator, Capt. Kristin Hubbard, visited Holloman Jan. 6 to meet with base personnel.

She will be one of eight pilots scheduled to perform in the Thunderbirds' demonstration at the October open house. Sixty to 70 additional personnel will also accompany the team in various support roles.

The performance by the Thunderbirds will highlight the teamwork and skill sets required to do any job in the Air Force, said Captain Hubbard.

"Our mission as USAF professionals is to continue to defend America's freedom and you can't do that without the rigorous day-to-day operations that is practiced here at Holloman and across the nation," said the Thunderbird pilot. "We just bring it into airplanes."

This will be the Thunderbirds' first performance at Holloman since April 2005.

"It's really exciting to come back to Holloman -- especially since we haven't been here since 2005," said Captain Hubbard. "I know Holloman has had some fantastic open houses since the last time the Thunderbirds were here, but we're thrilled we were invited back for the 2011 open house."

The Thunderbirds are the Air Force's elite aerial display team that has been performing for 57 years, across the United States and abroad. Through the years, the team has evolved, flying aircraft such as the F-100C Super Sabre, F-105B Thunder Chief, F-4 Phantom II and today's F-16C Fighting Falcon.

The team's demonstration will be the headline performance of the one-day event that is free and open to the general public.

"The purpose of the open house is to give the general populace a good understanding of what we do here on a daily basis, while showcasing our best assets as well," said Amanda Gallagher, 49th Force Support Squadron marketing director. "It's really an opportunity for the people to see what their tax dollars are going toward."

The open house will also feature different displays from the many squadrons at Holloman.

"People will get to see the fire trucks that the firefighters use, what the explosive ordnance disposal team does to disable a bomb and what the 49th FSS does to keep all our deployed Airmen fed," said Ms. Gallagher. "We really want to showcase everything that we do from the jets to the ground, and everything in-between."

The theme for the open house will be determined within the next few months.

For more information on the Oct. 8 open house, contact the 49th Wing Public Affairs Office at 575-572-5406.