Posts: 2176 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
posted 10-22-2016 08:18 PM
Were any NASA astronauts members of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds air demonstration squadron?
micropooz Member
Posts: 1512 From: Washington, DC, USA Registered: Apr 2003
posted 10-22-2016 08:22 PM
Bill Pogue and Lacy Veach were.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-01-2017 08:26 PM
Buzz Aldrin will fly with the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, at the Melbourne Air and Space Show in Florida on Sunday (April 2), reports the Associated Press.
Now 87 years old, the retired Air Force colonel will be the oldest person to fly with the Thunderbirds, known for their rigorous physical requirements.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 08:14 AM
From Buzz Aldrin on Twitter:
Getting suited up!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 08:16 AM
From Buzz Aldrin on Twitter:
Now a safety briefing with a bunch of hotshots.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 09:36 AM
From the Thunderbirds and Buzz Aldrin on Facebook Live:
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 04-02-2017 10:31 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: Buzz Aldrin will fly...
As a passenger, not as a pilot.
mmcmurrey Member
Posts: 114 From: Austin, TX, USA Registered: Jun 2012
posted 04-02-2017 11:24 AM
Well he is a pilot and you can fly it from the back seat...
David C Member
Posts: 1015 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
posted 04-02-2017 11:48 AM
quote:Originally posted by cspg: As a passenger, not as a pilot.
No one, not even a current Blue Angel or ordinary active duty USAF F-16 squadron pilot is going to jump into a Thunderbirds airplane and pilot a public display. Buzz is still doing pretty well to sit through a formation fighter display at his age.
mjanovec Member
Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
posted 04-02-2017 01:00 PM
I strongly suspect this was just a demonstration flight and not the actual performance flight for the airshow.
For most air shows that the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels visit, they will do a demonstration flight with a member of the local media or a celebrity as part of their promotional efforts. For these flights, they will often take it easy on the passenger. If the passenger is young and healthy, they may pull a few moderately high G turns which sometimes results in the passenger blacking out briefly (always hilarious for media replays). But I have a strong feeling that the pilot was told to take it easy with Buzz and not fly too aggressively. The point here was to make Buzz look good.
ejectr Member
Posts: 1751 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
posted 04-02-2017 01:07 PM
Wow! I'd like to do this at 67, never mind 87!
I'm a pilot but who gives a darn who's flying. I'm sure if there are controls in the back, he'll take the stick for awhile.
David C Member
Posts: 1015 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
posted 04-02-2017 02:06 PM
Sure, we've all let passengers have a go, but that doesn't make them "the pilot." Of course, as pointed out, Buzz is a pilot. Good point that it's probably not the actual show or full rehearsal. Still doing well at his age.
OV-105 Member
Posts: 816 From: Ridgecrest, CA Registered: Sep 2000
posted 04-02-2017 06:11 PM
Looks like he got more than the normal media/VIP flight.
I have been at air shows where the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels flew pilots in their number 7 jet who were interviewing for the teams and got to see what it was like. I also saw the Blues fly a show in their A-4's with only five aircraft because they grounded a pilot.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 07:04 PM
From Buzz Aldrin on Twitter:
Good to get back in the cockpit!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 07:24 PM
From the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds:
What an awesome day! Retired Air Force Col. and astronaut Buzz Aldrin flew in the diamond formation over Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. In 1969, Buzz Aldrin broke barriers and set foot on the moon. He is a true American hero and pioneer. We are proud of his accomplishments and the legacy he represents every day.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 07:26 PM
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds photos
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2017 07:27 PM
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds photos
ColinBurgess Member
Posts: 2031 From: Sydney, Australia Registered: Sep 2003
posted 04-02-2017 11:26 PM
Did Buzz ask if he could get out first?
Grounded! Member
Posts: 367 From: Bennington, Vermont, USA Registered: Feb 2011
posted 04-02-2017 11:38 PM
It was a good day to be in Melbourne, or at KSC. There is something quite uplifting about seeing one of my childhood heroes still seeking out adventure in the manner that Buzz does. He is 20+ years my senior, but I know I could not keep up with him. I should have headed south this weekend instead of pruning fruit trees in Vermont. Get your ass to Mars!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-05-2017 11:00 PM
Thunderbirds / Space.com video
posted 10-22-2016 08:18 PM
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