List of countries the Thunderbirds have been to?

Rotorblade · Post by **Rotorblade** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 11:50 am

Is there a list of the countries the USAF Thunderbirds have been to?

Post by **Lawndart** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:11 pm

I have a list at home with the exact years and more (add the new countries for this year's tour); however... I don't have it with me. Try Google?

Rotorblade · Post by **Rotorblade** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:22 pm

I did try Google and no luck.

Post by **Lawndart** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 2:41 pm

"Picture Google" the flag panel on the jet. That will give you all the countries visited, otherwise I can post a list later on.

In the mean time this is what I found through a quick search:

The 1969 flag panel of countries visited by the team on the left side of the boss' Phantom. There were three more countries added to the panel in 1972. More added later years on the Talons and Fighting Falcons.

Cobra · Post by **Cobra** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:08 pm

Alaska is a country?..

That pic is pretty out of date... I know they have been to OZ.

Rotorblade · Post by **Rotorblade** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:52 pm

Thanks!

Post by **Lawndart** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:21 pm

I'll post the entire list of countries visited to date and when they were added when I get home again, but to answer the question about Alaska being a country; no! The Thunderbird flag panel has always been rectangular or square and whenever they have not had enough countries to fill it out, flags of significance have been used to fill the slots to form that shape. For instance the current panel has the United Nations and POW/MIA on it! Not a country, but it looks better than a gap...

The reason Alaska was put there might have been because of a visit to a place outside the contiguous 48 states, seeing as Hawaii and Okinawa are also part of the '69 flag panel. During the Phantom era, the team flew in front of both its largest crowd of 1 million at the Paris air show and its smallest crowd of only 30 people in, you guessed it, Alaska! Coincidence maybe, but a memorable season with two extremes... and in the end a symmetrical flag panel to show for it!

Until I get a chance to post the list and years each country was added to the panel, here's a picture I took during one of our visits to Nellis AFB:

Rotorblade · Post by **Rotorblade** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 10:34 pm

Thanks for the excellent pictures and information on this. I think its a neat thing that they have the flags there. It adds to the "ambassadors in blue" theme.

Cobra · Post by **Cobra** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 1:51 am

Interesting that they have the POW/MIA flag there too.

Post by **Lawndart** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:24 pm

Since 1953 the Thunderbirds have demonstrated the skill of its people and air power of the U.S. Air Force to more than 400 million people across America and in 59 foreign countries. The flag panel represents those foreign countries.

As promised earlier, the years the countries were were added to the flag panel are listed below! (In 2007 Ireland and Turkey will also be added to the panel).

1954
USA
Mexico
Nicaragua
Chile
Argentina
Uruguay
Brazil
Venezuela
Dominican Repuplic
Cuba
Guatemala
Puerto Rico

1957
Bermuda
Canada
Suriname

1958
Panama
Peru

1959
Japan
Philippines
Korea

1961
Columbia
El Salvador
Jamajca
Paraguay
Bolivia
Ecuador
Honduras

1963
Portugal
Germany
France
Libya
United Kingdom
Luxembourg
Italy
Spain

1965
Barbados
Neth Antilles

1967
Belgium
Turkey
Greece

1970
Bahamas
Costa Rica

1971
Denmark
Morocco
Netherlands
Norway

1987
Guam
China
Thailand
Malaysia
Singapore
Indonesia
Australia

1991
Switzerland
Poland
Hungary

1996
Romania
Bulgaria
Slovenia
Czech Republic