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We are just two days from the start of the NASCAR season and the running of the Daytona 500. John Kucko talked to the world famous Thunderbirds about taking part in this year's season opening race.
Here at the Daytona 500, they are the greatest show in the air, the Air Force Thunderbirds, who will conduct the fly-over at Sunday's Daytona 500.
"There are about 600 men and women that are in our Air Force. They are wearing the uniform every single day," Thunderbird pilot Ryan Bodenheimer said. "They're serving our country 365 days out of the year, 24 hours a day, so we can enjoy sporting events like this. We don't have to worry. We've got our security taken care of. Representing them is the best thing, by far."
The effort is the ultimate in team work in the air and on the ground.
Bodenheimer added, "It's not just the pilots that are making the show happen. There's maintainers. There's public affairs officers. There's IT professionals. All these different people coming together during our training season to give us the ability to get these jets airborne. It's definitely not just the pilots. When it comes to us and the actual flying maneuvers, it's about two flights a day, five days a week for about two and a half months, and we are just constantly striving to improve, and really how that happens is, going up there and doing our absolute best, but remembering that it isn't about our agenda. It's about the team."
Daytona 500 pole-sitters Chase Elliott got the ride of a lifetime this week in one of the Thunderbirds. This is the kind of things where dreams are made of.
More...
Here at the Daytona 500, they are the greatest show in the air, the Air Force Thunderbirds, who will conduct the fly-over at Sunday's Daytona 500.
"There are about 600 men and women that are in our Air Force. They are wearing the uniform every single day," Thunderbird pilot Ryan Bodenheimer said. "They're serving our country 365 days out of the year, 24 hours a day, so we can enjoy sporting events like this. We don't have to worry. We've got our security taken care of. Representing them is the best thing, by far."
The effort is the ultimate in team work in the air and on the ground.
Bodenheimer added, "It's not just the pilots that are making the show happen. There's maintainers. There's public affairs officers. There's IT professionals. All these different people coming together during our training season to give us the ability to get these jets airborne. It's definitely not just the pilots. When it comes to us and the actual flying maneuvers, it's about two flights a day, five days a week for about two and a half months, and we are just constantly striving to improve, and really how that happens is, going up there and doing our absolute best, but remembering that it isn't about our agenda. It's about the team."
Daytona 500 pole-sitters Chase Elliott got the ride of a lifetime this week in one of the Thunderbirds. This is the kind of things where dreams are made of.
More...