“Teams that say they’re elite aren’t elite until they start performing,” Gen. Mark D. Kelly, the Air Force officer in charge of Air Combat Command, says in the new Netflix documentary film, “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds.”
The Air Combat Command commander makes the final decision in certifying who gets to be a member of the Air Force’s Thunderbirds air demonstration team and perform for the American people. “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds” takes viewers behind the scenes of what it takes to get the four-star general’s approval to represent the Air Force’s best in front of the American people.
“There’s high standards that are not negotiable,” said Kelly, who retired in 2024. “And no one can fake it.”
The Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, not only display the professionalism and capabilities of USAF pilots and aircraft; they also showcase the maintenance and support airmen who work on their specially modified F-16 Fighting Falcons. The unit performs 75 demonstrations every year, in a season that lasts from March through November, and has never canceled a show due to a maintenance issue.
The unit consists of eight pilots who serve two-year terms and 130 enlisted airmen who serve for 3-4 years. Personnel changes happen in the winter months, after the demonstration season ends, and resume in the spring. During that time, new troops have to train to meet the Thunderbirds’ high standards of performance and certify that they have the ability to perform around 30 maneuvers for every demonstration — no small feat.
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The pilots have two months to master maneuvers such as the Diamond Pass In Review, the tightest flying formation there is, flying close to the speed of sound with just 18 inches between each aircraft. Or the Opposing Hit, where two F-16s fly directly toward each other at closing speeds in excess of 1,000 mph. Then there’s the High Bomb Burst, the climax of a show and one of the most dangerous maneuvers the Thunderbirds do.
“It’s 45 minutes of total chaos,” said Lt. Col. Justin Elliott, commander of the squadron.
Many Air Force pilots are accustomed to training for combat operations. The only enemy for the Air Force Thunderbirds is the aircraft pilot’s greatest enemy: the ground. Many of their maneuvers have to be performed visually, often without knowing where the ground and sky are, sometimes pulling gravitational forces as high as 7-8 Gs. Most importantly, they have to fly with the firm belief that the other members of their formation will also flawlessly execute the maneuvers. Hence their motto and mantra: “Blind Trust.”
Elite as they may be, becoming a Thunderbird isn’t without significant risk. As Elliott’s wife points out in the film, the unit has a 10% fatality rate; 21 were killed in the line of duty, with three of those coming during an air show. In 1982, four pilots died while training for the Diamond formation at what is now Creech Air Force Base, Nevada.
The new Netflix film follows pilots who are new to the Thunderbirds as they train to meet their certification deadline before the start of the 2023 demonstration season. Along with their commander, Lt. Col. Elliott, viewers are guided by fellow team member and training officer Maj. Lauren “Threat” Schlichting over 60 days. With detailed graphics and thorough explanations of dangers and requirements of executing the maneuvers, “Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds” is probably the best look at the demonstration squadron anyone will ever get without actually going to an air show.
“Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds,” produced by former President Barack and Michelle Obama, starts streaming on Netflix on May 23, 2025.
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