F-16 Vipers land in Portsmouth: What to know about Thunder Over NH Air Show's headliner

PORTSMOUTH — The Vipers have landed.

The 2023 Thunder Over New Hampshire Air Show’s headlining act, the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Viper Demo Team, was greeted by ground crew members Wednesday afternoon after flying into Pease Air National Guard Base ahead of this weekend's events.

The team flew directly from Toronto, where it last performed in an air show on Labor Day.

Flying in tight formation, pilots in two Lockheed-Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon Block 50 aircrafts ducked over the base around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, splitting off to loop around the sky before landing and taxiing on the runway. Rows of cars parked around Pease International Tradeport to catch a glimpse of the Vipers.

The show will be held Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9-10. The shows will run from noon to 4 p.m., with gates opening in the morning. A rehearsal is planned for Friday afternoon.

More: Can I still get into Thunder Over NH Air Show 2023 at Pease? Everything you need to know

Capt. Aimee “Rebel” Fiedler, serves as commander of the team and led the procession, flying a charcoal and yellow aircraft decorated with a cartoon depiction of a viper. The plane behind her was flown by safety observer Capt. Christopher Danieli, according to the 157th Air Refueling Wing stationed at Pease.

Fiedler, a pilot stationed at Shaw Air force Base in Sumter, South Carolina, studied aviation education at South Dakota State University and worked as a civilian flight instructor while attending the school. She then became a flight instructor at the Navy Annapolis Flight Center in Maryland from May 2014 to September 2015, accruing 1,300 hours in that time as an instructor and as a pilot.

After several years of training and certification, Fiedler was assigned to the 55th Fighter Squadron in Sumter as an operational F-16 Flight Lead, then was named the Viper Demo Team commander.

"Viper Demo is so excited to bring a little piece of the Air Force to Thunder Over New Hampshire," she said in a prepared statement after landing at Pease. "We can’t wait to show the crowd the combat capabilities and incredible maneuverability of the F-16. We hope to see you out at the show and don’t forget to come out early and see all the awesome static displays and meet our team at the tent!"

A new Lockheed-Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon Block 50, with a wingspan of nearly 33 feet and length of over 49 feet, costs approximately $20 million new, according to Shaw Air Force Base. The model is 16 feet tall and can top out at 1,500 miles per hour.

“In an air combat role, the F-16's maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) until recently have exceeded that of all potential adversary fighter aircraft,” Shaw Air Force Base reports. “It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter. In an air-to-surface role, the F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point. An all-weather capability allows it to accurately deliver ordnance during non-visual bombing conditions.”

The F-16 Viper Demo Team takes to the sky and flies at over 20 air shows each year. The eight-member team has appeared at shows in Texas, California, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Montana, Illinois, Nebraska and Toronto for the year to date.

The Vipers’ 2023 air show schedule began in February and will come to a close after flying in Nas Pensacola, Florida on Nov. 4.

The Thunder Over New Hampshire Air Show will include the New Hampshire Air National Guard’s KC-46A tankers, the Vermont Air National Guard F-15 Eagle, the KC-135 Demo Team from Fairchild Air Force Base, the U.S. Special Operations Command Pura Commandos, aerobatic pilot Rob Holland, the N.H. Army Guard UH-60 Blackhawk, aerobatic pilot Kent Pietsch, the P-51C “Mad Max” with pilot Lou Horschel and the Smoke-N-Thunder Jet Truck.

More: Where can you watch 2023 Thunder Over NH Air Shows outside Pease? Here are great spots.

Major Michelle Mastrobattista, open house director for this year's Thunder Over New Hampshire Air Show, looked ahead to the excitement of the weekend. “We are excited to open our gates to the community. We have some especially exciting entertainers, displays and STEM exhibits for all ages. It’s a great opportunity to give back to our civilian partners and the local community for all their support over the years," she said.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: F-16 Vipers land in Portsmouth for 2023 NH air show at Pease