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Bird strikes Thunderbird F-16 at Barksdale Air Show
April 23, 2007 (by
Lieven Dewitte) -
An F-16 of the USAF Thunderbirds experienced a birdstrike while performing at the Barksdale Air Force Base air show last Saturday. The aircraft landed safely and there were no injuries.
Aviation fans flocked to the 2007 Barksdale AFB air show on Saturday. The show featured vintage aircraft and modern military planes but everyone agreed the stars of the show were the Air Force Thunderbirds. Watching the choreographed air routines at Barksdale Air Force Base Open House and Air Show was a thing of beauty.
The only blip in today's show came when Thunderbird F-16 #2 collided with a real bird and had to land early resulting in only five Thunderbirds finishing the show. There were no injuries.
The jet was just coming out of the Delta Roll when he hit the bird.
Note that for the first time, a spectator didn't have to physically be at Barksdale Air Force Base to see the demonstrations. The show was streamed live over the Internet.
The only blip in today's show came when Thunderbird F-16 #2 collided with a real bird and had to land early resulting in only five Thunderbirds finishing the show. There were no injuries.
The jet was just coming out of the Delta Roll when he hit the bird.
Note that for the first time, a spectator didn't have to physically be at Barksdale Air Force Base to see the demonstrations. The show was streamed live over the Internet.
Additional images:
SSgt. Gavin Douglas, a dedicated crew chief for the No. 2 jet assigned to the USAF Thunderbirds, removes chalks from his aircraft during the team's show launch. [USAF photo by SrA. Larry E. Reid Jr.]
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Tags
- Thunderbirds release their 2007 schedule (2006-12-05)
- Thunderbirds flying again after mid-air collision (2005-08-23)
- Missile rail breaks from Thunderbird F-16 during show (2005-08-21)
- Thunderbirds suffer minor bird-strike damage during air show (2004-06-30)
- Thunderbird accident report released (2004-01-22)
- F-16 Fighting Falcon news archive
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