F-16 Fighting Falcon News

February 7, 2004 (by Lieven Dewitte) - The Air Force Thunderbirds get a new commander Friday. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Chandler replaces Lieutenant Colonel Richard McSpadden Junior during a ceremony at the Thunderbirds' home at Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas.
Chandler's from Cedar Falls, Iowa. He'll be the 28th commander in the 51-year history of the aerial demonstration team. He's a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours. He had been studying at the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama.

McSpadden finished his two-year rotation as Thunderbirds chief. His command of the team's 50th anniversary year was marred by the crash of a Thunderbirds F16 during a September air show in Idaho. The pilot ejected safely and no one on the ground was hurt.