Thunderbird Milestones

Officials from the US Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron announced the new pilot roster for the 2006 demonstration season in June, adding the first female demonstration pilot in the fifty-two- year history of the Thunderbirds. Capt. Nicole Malachowski of the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, joins the team as the first female demonstration pilot on any US military high performance jet team. The Thunderbirds celebrated 1,500 airshows in the F-16 on 7 July at the Wings Over Pittsburgh airshow at Moon Township Reserve Base in Pennsylvania. The Thunderbirds have been flying the F-16 since 1983, switching to the F-16C in 1993.