Do the thunderbirds have a support plane?

Question

Do the thunderbirds have a support plane, like the blue angles have fat albert. I was at one of their shows last year and I didn't notice one. I'm sure they have one but didn't see it.

Answer 1

God I love all the uninformed answers...

Typically a C-17...almost all the time!

From the T-Bird Support Manual http://www.nwcas.org/files/tbirds2007.pd...

3. WEIGHT-BEARING WAIVER

a. A weight-bearing waiver is required when your airfield weight bearing for a twin tandem is less than 415,000 lbs

(C-17). This is the minimum weight for our support aircraft. If you are in doubt, please contact the Thunderbird

Airshow Events Coordinator.

b. Egress Training - Egress training with the Thunderbird Egress Technician will be scheduled for fire and rescue

crews after the arrival of the support C-17/Thunderbird personnel and F-16 aircraft. Due to scheduling conflicts, we

can only provide training for a single shift. Please have a Fire Department Representative at the Advance Pilot’s

Meeting.

d. Our support aircraft will typically be a C-17. Be sure to consult the Thunderbird Airshow Events Coordinator for

exact arrival time of our support aircraft.

Answer 2

They usually task a C130 cargo aircraft for this job. Using the C17 is wasteful and impractical, and there are no C17s at Nellis AFB. The C141 was retired years ago.

Answer 3

They probably do.  Check out their web site.

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http://thunderbirds.airforce.com/2008_US...

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Answer 4

Whenever possible, a C-17 - call-sign "Thunderbird One Four" (TBIRD14 )  Occasionally, C130's, and other aircraft over the years have served.  In recent years, there have not been any Thunderbird paint schemes on the aircraft as they are "borrowed" for the job, unlike the Blue's dedicated "Fat Albert" C-130.  C-141's sometimes performed support duty, but the Air Force retired its last C-141 in 2006.

Answer 5

Unless they have made a recent change, they are supported by a C-141.

Answer 6

I was looking on the internet and no, they do not.  I do like the Blue Angels C-130 (I also found that Fat Albert was a C-130) Fat Albert.