OFFUTT AFB – Two air shows in two weeks, that was my plan when I saw the Blue Angels would be in Colorado Springs, followed by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds headlining the Defenders of Freedom Air Show.

Having just returned from a successful photo expedition in Colorado, I was looking forward to the next air show, which fortunately was much closer to home in Nebraska.

This time my focus shifted from naval aviators to the US Air Force’s 57th Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds.

Founded 71 years ago in 1953, the USAF Thunderbirds are the third oldest official aerobatic team in the world after the Patrouille de France of the French Air Force, founded in 1931, and the Blue Angels of the US Navy, founded in 1946.

The squadron’s name is derived from a legendary creature that appears in the mythologies of several indigenous cultures of North America.

The Thunderbirds conduct flight demonstrations with the F-16C Fighting Falcon. The F-16 has been the Thunderbirds’ demonstration aircraft since the 1983 season.

The F-16 is a single-seat, single-engine multi-role fighter and is very different from the Blue Angels’ Super Hornets.

As much as I admire the blue and yellow contrast of the Blue Angels, the bright white with blue and red accents of the Thunderbirds is impressive up close.

I can’t write this column without thanking my maternal uncle, Mike Renken, who served 24 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a Master Sergeant in 2018. He now works as a civilian contract worker for the USAF at Offutt Air Force Base.

My brother Jordan and I had planned to attend the Defenders of Freedom Air Show at Offutt on August 24, but we were wondering how we would navigate the shuttle bus system and get to the base in time to see the show.

Mike came to our aid, he was able to drive us to Offutt himself and secured access for us with his current IDs. We even found a parking space just a stone’s throw from the airport.

I’ve heard horror stories of people taking two hours to get to the base or not being able to get in at all, so I was glad Mike was able to attend the show with us.

One of the demonstrations at the air show was performed by an F/A 18 Super Hornet. I had seen the Growler variant in Colorado Springs, but the demonstration at Offutt impressed me in many ways.

While the high-speed flyovers are exciting, Jordan and I agreed that the low-speed fighter jet flyovers are the most technically impressive.

It looked as if the crew of the Super Hornet were about to fall from the sky at any moment as they flew past at a frighteningly slow indicated airspeed of 98 knots at a steep angle of attack just a few hundred feet above the ground.

Later, the flight controller announced that the Hornet crew would perform a “photo pass,” a high-angle flyby paired with a steep turn.

The result was simply stunning, especially when viewed through a camera viewfinder.

While we were at high altitude in Colorado and there was hardly any condensation on the plane, the humidity in Offutt that weekend was high.

As the Super Hornet flew past, condensation was constantly visible on the wings, and for a short time a steam core even formed. The crew must have pushed the speed as close to Mach 1 and the sound barrier as they dared.

The performance of the Thunderbirds concluded the air show.

Although I had seen the Blue Angels air show in Lincoln in 2023 and traveled to Colorado Springs with that knowledge, I had not seen the Thunderbirds in action since I was a child.

I approached the flight line as the Thunderbirds prepared to take off.

The professionalism and pride in the aircraft is clearly evident as the ground crew members take their positions in formation and three members from each aircraft set off on a march.

The crews are then joined by the pilots, who also head to their aircraft and climb into the cockpit. Watching the pilots change from formal attire on the ground to flight readiness in just a few minutes leaves a lasting impression.

I pointed my camera at Lt. Col. Nathan Malafa, the Thunderbirds commander who has the honor of flying Thunderbird One, as he prepared for the flight.

The four-ship formation took to the air as Thunderbirds Five and Six took off from opposite ends of the airfield.

Much of the Thunderbird performance alternates between maneuvers performed by the diamond and those performed by the solos. They have a total of eight different formations: Diamond, Delta, Stinger, Arrowhead, Line-Abreast, Trail, Echelon, and the Five Card.

All their maneuvers are performed at a speed of 450 to 500 miles per hour

One of the most impressive sights is the diamond formation of the four aircraft, with the planes only 18 inches apart. Panning shots of this formation flying past are some of my most sought after shots.

The stealthy flyby of the Thunderbirds caught me, and as the formation of four ships moved from left to right and I had my camera locked on the target, one of the lone Thunderbirds was hot on their heels, flying past without making a face.

It took me about two tries to get a good shot of the crossing scenes of Thunderbirds Five and Six, but I finally managed to get both of them in the center of the frame during their second to last flyby of the show.

Towards the end, the Diamond pulls vertically upwards and performs the typical “bombing kick” in which all four aircraft take off in different directions.

After attending two air shows in as many weekends to see the best that the Air Force and Navy pilots have to offer, I’m glad I stuck to my plan to see both groups, because no one knows when they’ll be within driving distance of each other again in the future.

The photos I took are some of my best aviation photos to date. Photographing jets traveling at near-sound speeds is a little different than photographing air tractors at home.

The urge to improve my photography skills is ever-present and I am glad that I was able to put my skills to the test and not be found completely inadequate.