The elite pilots of the Air Force Thunderbirds display exceptional skill, trust and courage during a high-stakes trainin | dG1fMC1CalU5N2Z2UE0
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Short filmTranscript
00:00Six jets flying 18 inches apart,
00:04nearly at the speed of sound.
00:07You are microseconds of lag
00:10from a life-threatening situation.
00:19The Thunderbirds of the United States Air Force's display team.
00:23And they're demonstrating to airshows all across the world.
00:27They are already the best combat pilots the Air Force has to offer.
00:31But air demonstration is a completely different animal.
00:36We're always under a little bit of, like, the I'm-gonna-die factor.
00:43The pilots on this team put absolute trust in me as the formation leader.
00:50I'm in charge of the training for the teams.
00:52If it's a bad flight, it's only on me.
00:55We have three new pilots joining the team this year.
00:58They told me the rules.
01:00Y'all hit the ground.
01:07The high bomb burst is one of the most dangerous things we do.
01:11It's nostalgic because the high bomb burst was our last fatal accident.
01:15As a newbie, there is immense amount of pressure to get this right.
01:22He's behind. Come on, catch up.
01:26His rejoin angle is off.
01:29Come on!
01:31We're gonna pick apart everything that went wrong.
01:33And it's gonna feel like you're getting crushed.
01:38I keep over-rolling on the top.
01:41It's the most frustrating thing I've ever done.
01:43You don't wanna be the reason the team fails.
01:46Pull up, pull up.
01:47You have to keep making the same mistake.
01:51Over and over and over again until it clicks.
01:56It's not just me putting myself in danger.
02:00It's now doing that with a young family that is starting to understand that risk.
02:05The wingmen don't know where the ground and the sky are.
02:12They only know where Astro is.
02:14If you don't have blind trust, this show will not work.
02:20We can't just be good.
02:22We have to be extraordinary.
02:25Thunderbirds!
02:26Light trust!
02:35Light trust!
02:37Light trust!
02:39Light trust!
02:41Light trust!
02:43Light trust!
02:45Light trust!
02:47Light trust!
02:49Light trust!
02:51Light trust!
02:53Light trust!
02:55Light trust!
02:57Light trust!
02:59Light trust!
03:01Light trust!
03:03Light trust!