The Thunderbird is one of the few cross-cultural elements of native North American mythology. From the Passamaquoddy tribes along the Maine-Canadian border to the Quileute in Illinois, the tribes of the Great Plains, the Quillayute in the Pacific Northwest and to the tribes of the American southwest, the Thunderbird was similarly described. Perhaps the most powerful of the Indian gods, the Thunderbird brought life-giving rains and declared his presence with thunder from his wings and lightning from his eyes. Always benevolent and many times a protector, he sometimes left damage in his wake because he, himself, was unaware of his great size and power. He could be the bull in the china shop. Today, Americans look up to see six lethal F-16s. They hear the thunder and see the flashes of red, white and blue lightning, but unlike the ancient natives, they witness the awesome power held in check by talented and disciplined hands.

Red stands for courage, white for truth and blue for justice. In honor of the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, we bring you these beautiful jets to the skies of the virtual world, presenting, the Virtual Thunderbirds.

The Virtual Thunderbirds, founded in 2004, are the original and first team to reenact the Thunderbirds in any flight simulator and the first team to ever perform formation aerobatics online as the United States Air Demonstration Squadron. We share true passion and dedication to accurately showcase the flying skills of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Over the years we've acquired a wealth of knowledge about the real team and done copious amounts of research in order to perform the maneuvers and reenact the flying of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds as closely as possible in a flight simulator. This has been no small feat, and in the process we've come in contact with some truly amazing and passionate people, alumni and friends, colleagues and pilots sharing the same interests.

The faces of the Virtual Thunderbirds have changed over the years, and similar to the real team pilots have retired, new members have been selected, but once a Thunderbird, always a Thunderbird. We take pride in our traditions and friendships. We continuously strive for higher standards with the current talent pool, but we also value our extended friends and family.

 

Our goal is to be the most comprehensive group of knowledgeable and talented pilots on the internet "wearing" the Thunderbird patch, virtually. It demands extraordinary teamwork, skill, commitment, determination and passion and our presentation is a reflection of the real world team, our heroes and Ambassadors in Blue. This is our tribute to the men and women of the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, past and present.