AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (KOAA) — There are different weather conditions that will alter whether or not the Thunderbirds will fly or stay grounded. It truly takes an entire village to make the final decision, and this ensures the safety of the pilots and the audience.
Meteorologist Lauren Brand spoke with visitors who traveled from Denver to see if they were concerned about the incoming rain, and they didn't let it bother them. They arrived early and were hoping that the clouds wouldn't get too low for practice.
Major Brandon Maxson who is the right wing pilot for Thunderbird 3 told News 5 "We have different shows, different maneuvers that we will fly based off the weather conditions. So typically it'll be a cloud based on the clouds. So if there's blue skies, zero clouds in the sky, that's when we can do our looping and rolling maneuvers".
It is also more difficult for these pilots to fly in Colorado vs places closer to sea level.
Maxson also tells us "Here in Colorado there's no ocean for us to fly over. Over the water, the air is typically nice and smooth, and the plane cuts through the air like butter".
To no surprise, light winds and sunny skies are the most ideal conditions for these pilots to fly. Just last year, the Air Force Graduation saw no Thunderbird flyover due to lower clouds. The cloud ceiling is how low the clouds will reach and at it's lowest point was just 400 feet. This created unsafe conditions for them to fly and they were grounded.
This year looks a little better, though there is a chance for some afternoon thunderstorms.
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