The Thunderbird pilots are returning to South Mississippi with a brand new show in April.
Thunder over the Sound comes to Biloxi April 29-30 and will feature the famed Thunderbirds over the Sound in collaboration with a civilian air performance over Keesler Air Force base.
In a plane-side interview at the Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport, advance pilot/narrator Major Jeffrey “Simmer” Downie said the pandemic allowed them to create a new show with some help from Disney executives.
“We kind of designed it to be like a fireworks display,” Downie said. “It opens with a bang, it’s got a lot of cloud noises, jet sneak passes, loops and rolls, just some really incredible maneuvers. It’s a very coherent show, great music, just an incredible experience.”
The planes are a collection of F-16s that fly fast enough to get from the Naval Air Station in Pensacola to Keesler in 13 minutes at cruising speed.
The jets will be on display during a show that requires a months-long training period that began in November.
Among the maneuvers in the show will be solo slow-rolls and a Downie favorite where four jets in formation do their roll at the same time just 300-400 feet above the ground.
“It’s exhilarating... it ties together with the music very well,” Maj. Downie said of the show. “It pulls at the heartstrings a little bit for happy, proud Americans.”
The theme of the show will be Heritage and Honor and will be the Thunderbirds’ first appearance in Biloxi since 2019.
Advance Pilot and Narrator Maj. Jeff Downie puts on his helmet as he prepares a Thunderbird F-16 aircraft for flight at the Combat Readiness Training Center at Gulfport International Airport on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The Thunderbirds will return to the Mississippi Coast April 28 to April 30, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff
Advance Crew Chief SSgt. Austin Guerra prepares a Thunderbird F-16 aircraft for flight at the Combat Readiness Training Center at Gulfport International Airport on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The Thunderbirds will return to the Mississippi Coast April 28 to April 30, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff
A Thunderbird F-16 aircraft is parked at the Combat Readiness Training Center at Gulfport International Airport on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The Thunderbirds will return to the Mississippi Coast April 28 to April 30, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff
Maj. Jeff Downie and SSgt. Austin Guerra prepare for takeoff in a Thunderbird F-16 aircraft at the Combat Readiness Training Center at Gulfport International Airport on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The Thunderbirds will return to the Mississippi Coast April 28 to April 30, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff
Advance Pilot and Narrator Maj. Jeff Downie holds up his hands to signal that he is prepared to leave as he pilots a Thunderbird F-16 aircraft from the Combat Readiness Training Center at Gulfport International Airport on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The Thunderbirds will return to the Mississippi Coast April 28 to April 30, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff
Advance Pilot and Narrator Maj. Jeff Downie takes a call as he prepares a Thunderbird F-16 aircraft for flight at the Combat Readiness Training Center at Gulfport International Airport on Friday, Feb. 10, 2023. The Thunderbirds will return to the Mississippi Coast April 28 to April 30, 2023. Hannah Ruhoff
