Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby

Okay, so these are obviously the Thunderbirds, the USAF's F-16 Fighting Falcons, not the Navy's F-14 Tomcats! Just the same, Laura would be Mav, and Ben would most definitely be Goose.

These photos are from the Cheyenne Frontier Days Airshow in 2009 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. When I was little, I was lucky enough to see the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels quite a few times. My dad was stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, AZ, Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, TX and at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO. Naturally, I was very excited to take the kids to their first air show! Truly, I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Scott and I, or the kids.

The shots of the Thunderbirds on the tarmac are from the evening before the airshow at the national guard armory. It was so nice of a friend of a friend to give us an up close and personal tour.

Ben demonstrates
the calypso pass maneuver.


I caught Laura's reflection in this helicopter.


In mirror formations, one Thunderbird must be inverted, and it is always Thunderbird number 5. That is why the "5" on this jet is painted on upside down, and thus appears right-side-up for much of the routine.