Rain or shine, the AF's premiere aerial demonstration team to headline Robins Air Show Published May 1, 2009 By Wayne Crenshaw 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- The Thunderbirds will bring a little more muscle to this year's Robins Air Show. The Air Force's aerial demonstration team, the marquee event of the show, is coming this year with new planes that have more horsepower. Staff Sgt. Randy Redman, chief of community relations for the team, said the extra kick will allow the team to perform some new maneuvers. One of those is a "diamond takeoff," in which the team will execute a diamond-shaped loop on takeoff that it had not been able to do with previous versions of the F-16 that the team flew. "They've never had the horsepower to do that before," he said. The new model is Lockheed Martin's Block 52 F-16, which has an additional 3,600 horsepower. Weather forecasts are calling for a chance of rain over the weekend, but Maj. Joseph Speight, the air show coordinator, said the show will go on "rain or shine." Robins employees who want to get a preview of the Thunderbirds show to which is open to the general public Saturday and Sunday should step outside at 2 p.m. today. That's when the team is scheduled for a rehearsal. The team is made up of six planes, and all except one of the pilots have flown combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Thunderbirds were created in 1953 and perform approximately 70 shows per year around the world. Pilots are selected through an arduous process, Sergeant Redman said, and they typically serve a two-year stint, with half of the team rotating out each year. All pilots in the Air Force can perform the same maneuvers as the Thunderbirds, but the team executes those maneuvers with wing tips inches apart. Sergent Redman said a key factor in selection is personality and ability to represent the Air Force. "We have to be able to talk to anybody anywhere about what the Air Force does and they have to have the personality to go along with that," he said. The mission of the Thunderbirds, he said, is to act as ambassadors for the Air Force, spur recruitment, and instill pride within the Air Force to promote retention. "We are talking to the kids about the next generation to enter the Air Force," he said. "The Air Force needs us to represent the best that the Air Force has to offer." After the show, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. both days, the pilots will be available to meet with the public and sign autographs.