Air Force
GalleryUSAF’s Thunderbirds train ahead of months of demonstrations
Stars and Stripes
January 30, 2026
An F-16 assigned to the Thunderbirds performs an auxiliary power unit burn-off on the flight line at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Jan. 27, 2026, during a site survey conducted in preparation for the Wings Over Solano Air Show. (Kenneth Abbate/U.S. Air Force)
The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, known popularly as the Thunderbirds, has been conducting winter training at Spaceport America in New Mexico in preparation for the 2026 airshow season.
Airmen assigned to the Thunderbirds arrived at the facility in the first week of January, a squadron news release said, noting that the spaceport is the world’s first “purpose-built commercial spaceport.” The squadron will also move to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to train there, followed by Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.
About 70 team members and nine F-16s are involved in the training.
Personnel with the squadron recently also practiced maneuvers at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to prepare for an upcoming show in the area.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the Air Force Thunderbirds practices aerial maneuvers over Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Jan. 27, 2026. The pilot, Maj. Samuel Larson, visited the base to conduct a site survey for the upcoming Wings Over Solano Air Show. The Thunderbirds are currently undergoing winter training for the 2026 show season. (Kenneth Abbate/U.S. Air Force)
An F-16 assigned to the Thunderbirds practices over Travis Air Force Base, Calif., for an upcoming show in the area, Jan. 27, 2026. (Kenneth Abbate/U.S. Air Force)
The 2026 season consists of 60 demonstrations, starting Feb. 15 and ending on Nov. 1. A schedule of events can be found here.
The Thunderbirds are not the only ones conducting winter training: the Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron (commonly known as the Blue Angels) is training at NAF El Centro, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team also is preparing for this year’s shows.