At age 4, he was thrilled to see air shows. Now, he's in Milwaukee with the Thunderbirds.
Growing up in South Carolina, Tyler Clark has fond memories of attending air shows both in his home state and North Carolina beginning when he was as young as 4 years old.
He remembers sitting in a plane's cockpit, putting on a pilot's helmet, and "thinking this was the coolest thing in the world."
"And I knew exactly what I wanted to do," he said.
He's now Major Tyler Clark, and he's in Milwaukee for the weekend with The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. He's officially Thunderbird 3, his call sign is "Slasher," and he's been flying in the Air Force for about 14 years, and serving for 15. Clark and the rest of the Thunderbirds are based at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas.
The team is returning from a five-year hiatus to headline the WaterStone Bank's Milwaukee Air & Water Show on Saturday and Sunday at McKinley Park and Bradford Beach.
The Thunderbirds have seven planes with red, white and blue paint jobs. Each of the pilots' seats are decorated according to their call sign. Clark said his primary airframe, or aircraft, is the F-15 C, or the Eagle, but he learned how to fly an F-16 jet to fly with the Thunderbirds.
The secret to their close-proximity flights is something the Thunderbirds call "blind trust," which is built over time during training. The planes start farther away from each other, then bring their formation in closer and closer over time, Clark said.
"Quite frankly, as we're flying during the demonstration, it is 100% focus on the task at hand," said Clark. "Looking at boss, listening to his communication and doing our best to strive for the perfect flight."
One of the perks of being a Thunderbird pilot, he said, is he can experience an adrenaline rush and a sense of pure freedom as the jets "rage" around the air at 500 mph.
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Clark said the amount of teamwork, cohesion and camaraderie the Thunderbirds, which formed in 1953, have is something he values as being a member of the team.
"We can take that from the ground and apply it to our demonstration in the air," he said. "It's absoultely incredible to see and very surreal to experience."
In addition to the Thunderbirds, several other demonstrations are taking place as part of the Air & Water Show.
Frecce Tricolori ("Tricolor Arrows"), the Italian Air Force's official aerobatic team, is making its first visit to Milwaukee. It will perform aerial displays that include smoke trails in the colors of the Italian flag.
The United States Army Parachute Team, also known as the Golden Knights, will return to Milwaukee after a six-year absence, according to the event's website. The Golden Knights are one of only three Department of Defense-sanctioned aerial demonstration teams, along with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds.
There will also be a showcase of one of the U.S. Air Force's KC-46 Pegasus Aerial Refuelers for the first time in Milwaukee, according to the show organizers. This aircraft refuels other aircraft mid-flight, and is billed as a preview of what is to come for the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Thunderbird pilot gets a rush for Milwaukee Air & Water Show
