Why you won't see Thunderbirds at Cheyenne Frontier Days, in Fort Collins skies this July

The last two years during the last week of July, Northern Colorado residents reveled in the opportunity to hear the roar of F-16 fighter jets and see the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds team up close.

But this year, the skies over Fort Collins will be quiet as the aerial demonstration team is not performing at this year's Wings over Warren Airshow as part of the 127th Cheyenne Frontier Days.

This year's show scheduled for July 26 was canceled in February.

Here's what you need to know:

The Thunderbirds have a long history of flying at Cheyenne Frontier Days

Since 1953, the Air Force aerial demonstration team has only missed performing at the "Daddy of Em All" in 2013 due to federal government budget issues and in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.

Why has the Thunderbirds team used the Northern Colorado Regional Airport in recent years?

In 2021 and 2022, the Thunderbirds used the Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland to practice and stage on performance day for the Wings over Warren Airshow because Cheyenne Regional Airport was under intermittent construction and the Loveland airport was the next-closest airport that could support the F-16 fighter jets.

Why did the Thunderbirds cancel this year's Wings over Warren Airshow?

Safety concerns.

The 90th Missile Wing at Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne said in a February news release it was canceling the entire airshow for this year due to loss of the headline act, the Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds demonstration team determined performing in Cheyenne carries too much risk with the lack of an approved emergency landing airfield nearby, according to the release.

"The closure of the large runway in Cheyenne is a key factor in this decision. After much discussion and consideration, cancelling the show for 2023 is the best way to ensure the safety of our community and the Thunderbirds," Col. Catherine Barrington, 90th Missile Wing commander, said in the release.

Thunderbird emergency landing last year at Northern Colorado Regional Airport was cause for concern

While returning to the Northern Colorado Regional Airport last year, one of the Thunderbirds F-16 fighter aircraft conducted an emergency landing at the Loveland airport due to a hydraulic leak.

The jet spilled fluids across the runway after it landed, forcing the rest of the team to divert across Denver International Airport airspace and land at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, the closest place with safety equipment for F-16 emergency landings.

"The team made the difficult decision, due to safety and logistics challenges operating deployed from Colorado, to not return to Cheyenne's airshow this season," Lt. Col. Justin Elliott, Thunderbird 1 and team commander/leader, said in the release. "While disheartened to part with this important tradition, we hope to see a fully-constructed runway allowing our safe return to Wings Over Warren in the future.''

Terminal takeoff: Officials break ground on new Northern Colorado Regional Airport terminal in Loveland

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Why the Thunderbirds aren't using Northern Colorado Regional Airport