I realizeded my error in how Navy planes line up and edited my post, obviously not before your reply. Regarding Thunderbird line-up, Hoot Gibson started the second solo in the F-100Cs. From that time until the F-16s the second solo was #6 and promoted to #5 in his second year, the reason being that ...

1: Bill Creech being the "Father of the Thunderbirds" is an invention of the press rather than an reputation among Thunderbirds. There is no question that Creech had an enormous impact on the team, but the "Father" designation applied to him rankled many if not most team alumni. The "Father" designa...

At least in your T-38 renderings, you have the Thunderbirds lined up like a Navy formation rather than an Air Force formation. Off lead's left wing is 2, 5, 7, etc. Off the right is 3, 4, 6, etc. Conversely, the Navy lines them up even numbers on the right and odd on the left.