Mission Recruitment: Louisville Tomorrow, October 9th-14th, San Francisco

Louisville, Kentucky, will host the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Air Show and Military
Recruitment Fest tomorrow, Saturday, April 12th, 2008. The Thunderbirds
Air Show, like the Blue Angels Air Show, will demonstrate "the amazing technology of the
United States Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines":

SATURDAY
APR 12
Thunder Over Louisville Air Show 2008

Bowman Field Airport Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Started as a filler to build up the crowd before a nighttime fireworks display, the
Thunder Air Show could now be a stand-alone event. Ranked as one of the top five
air shows in the nation, each year the event promises to fill the Louisville skyline with
action packed aviation. The show begins at 3 PM with continuous performances and
fly-bys until 9:30 PM. The Air Show dazzles the crowd with more than 100 planes,
aerobatics teams, daring sky diving groups and breathtaking stunts. And the amazing
technology of the United States Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines are always crowd
favorites. A staple of the Thunder Air Show is 'THUNDER'S SALUTE TO OUR NATION'
featuring the American Flag Pass.

Two gigantic American Flags will fly over the crowd to the music of The Star Spangled
Banner and America the Beautiful, flown in by helicopters. Serving as an aerial drum
roll of sorts, civilian performer, Bill Left takes to the air for an evening show just minutes
before 'Blast Off' of the Thunder Fireworks. He performs his 'Night Show,' a dazzling display
of airborne fireworks mounted on the wings and tail.

http://www.airshowscalendar.com/


However, U.S. Navy's Blue Angels Air Show, which visits San Francisco every October, will not be
part of the Louisville Air Show, because of the DOD mandate for maximum returns on recruiting resources
described here, in the FAQs of the Official Website of the Blue Angels Air Show:


Why don’t the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds fly together?

Current Department of Defense policy states the use of military aviation demonstration

teams is for recruiting purposes, therefore the teams cannot fly within 150 miles of each

other without special permission. Each demonstration team showcases U. S. military aviation

capabilities to the public separately to maximize Navy or Air Force recruiting efforts. However,

the Blue Angels or Thunderbirds may perform with the U. S.

Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, or the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leapfrogs.

http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/index.htm

The same all forces military recruitment effort, starring the Navy's Blue Angels rather than
the Air Force Thunderbirds will come to San Francisco on October 11th and 12th, 2008, as
it has every October since 1981, upon the invitation of our elected officials, including the
Mayor of San Francisco, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and the San Francisco
Port Commission, all acting in the name of all San Francisco. --Ann Garrison, San Francisco, CA