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Final countdown was cool. VF-84 Jolly Rogers got that duty.

a story I read at the time was that the squadron involved was the first squadron certified to be able to shoot down a missle (not sure what kind) in flight.

With the newer Engines, both Bates and Hultgren woudl still be alive

At the time of the crash of the Thunderbirds squadron I read alot about how limited the planes they used were, how they were always pushing the edge of their envelope (I think they were T34s?). They then went to the F16. The big comment was that the engine had so much thrust that, if they got in trouble, they could simply red line it and they'd go ballistic in whatever direction they were pointed at the time. There's often no substitute for lots of pounds of thrust on demand.

I'm retired; soon to join Delta Airlines training program.

Do you know what you'll be flying? It'll be a bit different from what you've flown before. I knew the VP of American at the time they were consdering buying the L-1011. He was in charge of the buy. He had been a military pilot and was still certified, including his multi engine jet, so he took up the plane, along with the execs from Lockheed. According to his story, he asked if it could survive a roll. They assured him it could. So he rolled it. It survived. They lowered the price to what he was offering (which they hadn't been willing to do before). True story or not, you guys are all nuts.... in a good way (g).

Thunderbirds were in the T-38, a plane with only enough guts to get you high enough to die coming back down. The F-16 is a great airplane, but a strange bird to fly. We had them in Aggressors. The computer does too much for my tastes. Like you said, it will go anywhere you point it, but what it does not do well is fly slow. It is designed to be pushed around the corner by that big engine, but you have little wing to hang on at high AOA. F-16's stalls are very ugly because at low altitude there is nothing you can do except leave the thing. At high altitude, you have to shut off the computer's pitch limiter and rock it back and forth to get air on the wing enough to fly away from the stall.

I'll be flying right seat on a 767 after training if everything works out.