Snapshot
July 02, 2009
May your July 4th have a little red, white, and blue in it, like this shot of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds' solo pilots making a mirror pass during a practice run at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The number 5 pilot always takes the inverted position, hence the numeral painted on the aircraft's jet intake upside down. Or would that be right side up? Here's a squint-free closeup. We also considered this one, which includes a familiar statue but lacked the vibrant colors. For a splash of patriotic color, here's a shot of retired Thunderbird pilot Gary Younglove, shown at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida during a 2005 motorcycle trip around the country to visit each of the original McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantoms used by the Thunderbirds when he flew with them in the early 1970s.
Happy 4th from Air & Space Smithsonian Magazine/Web site.
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