Thunderbirds set to perform at Fort Lauderdale Air Show

Thousands of service men, women in town for Fleet Week

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ One by one, the Thunderbirds filed in Monday at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.Ā 

Although this isnā€™t the home base for the Thunderbirds, their arrival was a bit of a homecoming as they are returning to Fort Lauderdale after a three-year hiatus.

"This is our first beach show this year, so we are very excited to have some fun in the sun,"Ā Maj. Scott Petz said.

The pilots arrived Monday afternoon, ready to put on a great show over the weekend at the Fort Lauderdale Air Show.Ā 

Fans will get to see F-16s fly in perfect unison while performing amazing maneuvers. Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā 

"You'll see six aircraft out there and itā€™s going to be a ton of cool maneuvering,"Ā Maj. Alexander Goldfein said. "The solos, they'll be doing some super close hits."

Well-trained combat pilots are set to take part in the show, and flying F-16s isnā€™t for the faint of heart. Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā Ā 

"It's got 30,000 pounds of thrust,"Ā Petz said. "It can go straight up in the air at 30,000 feet per minute and it goes 1,500 mph and it's a nine-plus G aircraft."

Although these pilots are excited to perform for large crowds, theyā€™ll also be visiting schools and hospitals while they're in town.

It's not just the Air Force thatā€™s in town this week.

Thousands of Navy sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen arrived at Port Everglades for the start of Fleet Week.

These men and women will enjoy some much-needed relaxation while participating in events throughout the week.

The 26thĀ annual fleet week will go on until May 9. Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā  Ā Ā 


About the Author:

Jenise Fernandez joined the Local 10 News team in November 2014. She is thrilled to be back home reporting for the station she grew up watching. Jenise, who is from Miami and graduated from Florida International University, also interned at Local 10 while she was in college.