Thunderbirds Continue 70-Plus-Year Run At Cheyenne Frontier Days On New Night

This year’s Cheyenne Frontier Days was already shaping up to be one for the history books, with the first ever Wyoming native set to headline a concert during Cheyenne Frontier Days. Sheridan’s Ian Munsick has that honor, with Travis Tritt opening for him, on CFD’s first concert night set for July 18.

Now comes word that the beloved U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, who have flown the skies over Cheyenne Frontier Days every year but two since 1953, will be moving their hugely popular show to a Saturday. The move to July 26 is intended to give more people than ever the chance to see this phenomenal airshow in the sky.

“The Thunderbirds are a cherished part of Cheyenne Frontier Days tradition,” CFD Military Chairman, Colonel Jonathan Esses said. “We’re thrilled to bring this incredible experience to fans on a Saturday — making it even more accessible to more visitors attending CFD events.”

The Wings Over Warren Airshow has traditionally been held midweek from 11 a.m. to noon, but having it on a Saturday instead will give the Thunderbirds more opportunities to interact with Cheyenne Frontier Days crowds, both in the park and at downtown events.

The base also plans to have food trucks, inflatable games, and static displays of Blackhawk and Huey helicopters on hand for the airshow.

Public access is via Roundtop Road. Valid photo ID will be required, with vehicles also subject to security checks. 

Distinguished Visitors, meanwhile, may use Gate 5 on Central Avenue to park.

Best Pilots In The World Show Their Stuff

Watching the Thunderbirds is a thrill, thanks in no little part to their death-defying, wingtip to wingtip formations where there’s as little as 18 inches between the planes, which are flying at high speeds.

The aerial moves not only showcase the power of the nation’s F-16 Fighting Falcons, but the skills of what are some of the world’s best, most elite pilots.

One wrong move by any one pilot would almost certainly be fatal. There’s absolutely no room for error in the show.

Communities across America vie for the chance to have the Thunderbirds perform, but Cheyenne has had a lock on them for decades. 

Retired Col. Tucker Fagan, former wing commander at F.E. Warren Air Force Base as well as former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Nuclear Section under President Ronald Reagan, said that’s partly due to a long, shared history between Cheyenne Frontier Days and the F. E. Warren Air Force Base.

Tucker, in his position at the pentagon, is familiar with how the various military performance units choose where they will appear each year. 

“The Thunderbirds, Blue Angels, and the Golden Knights would sit at a table in the Pentagon and say, ‘All right. Where’s each of us going?’” Fagan has told Cowboy State Daily in previous interviews. “To get the Thunderbirds to your base, you have to compete.”

But not Cheyenne Frontier Days.

“For years, the Thunderbirds would always come in and say, that last week in July, we’re in Cheyenne,” Fagan said. “That’s already there. So now we work around that.’ No other base has that.”

Why The Military Likes CFD

Part of the reason the Thunderbirds have favored Cheyenne Frontier Days are the huge audiences that attend the event from all around the world.

The military also likes Wyoming’s cowboy culture, according to Chief Nick Anaya, who was with the Navy Seals unit that performed last year at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

“We’re looking for qualified candidates, who, you know, fit the mold to go through these difficult pipelines,” he told Cowboy State Daily last year. “People who come to these things, they work on farms, they’re strong, they love their country, they’re raised right. So this is a good demographic of people to try to find the next generation of war fighters.”

Another big reason is shared history. 

Cheyenne Frontier Days, held annually since 1892, bills itself as the World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration, drawing nearly 200,000 people annually, which gives military performance groups a huge audience of people.

The Thunderbirds were activated on June 1, 1953, according to an Air Force fact sheet on the squadron. That makes its July appearance at Cheyenne Frontier Days one of its very first shows, if not its first. 

At that time, it was called the 3600th Air Demonstration Team, and it was flying the F-84G Thunderjet, a combat fighter-bomber used in Korea.

Their founding mission was to support Air Force recruitment and retention, as well as reinforce public confidence in the Air Force.

More About The Thunderbirds

The Thunderbirds squadron has eight pilots, including the six demonstration pilots, as well as four support officers, three civilians, and more than 130 enlisted personnel in 25 different career fields.

There are about 75 demonstrations every year, which have been viewed by more than 300 million people in all 50 of the nation’s states, as well as 58 foreign countries. 

The show includes a mix of high-speed formation flying and solo routines, with more than 30 maneuvers in what fans have described as a thrilling show, which lasts about an hour and 15 minutes.

When the Thunderbird show is imminent, it’s easy to tell by all the people who are lining up on either side of Interstate 25 near the F.E. Warren base to view the performance.

Given the intensity of the performance, there is always a “weather-permitting” element to the show. In most years, the show has been able to go on, but safety is always a big factor in the determination.

That was cited in 2023, when the show was canceled, due to lack of an airport, while the Cheyenne airport was under construction.

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.