Thunderbirds ready to pump up the theatrics for Bethpage Air Show

Surprise!

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, set to dance in the sky at the Bethpage Air Show on Memorial Day weekend, have rechoreographed their demonstration — for the first time since 1983 — almost halving it, inventing new maneuvers and pumping up the drama.

"We wanted to make this show more cohesive," said Maj. Kyle Oliver, the squadron's opposing solo pilot, which means he will perform passes, tight turns and other aerobatic maneuvers.

"We wanted to make it more of a performance," Oliver said in a phone interview. "We reorganized the entire show with the idea of highlighting certain different sections, the different capabilities of the aircraft, paired with new music and narration to kind of fit the themes we were going for."

Those themes are "recruit, retain and inspire."

The air show, which will be held at Wantagh’s Jones Beach State Park, also features other branches of the armed forces, including the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachutists, and a U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Demonstration team, all hoping to expand their ranks.

Aerobatic pilots David Windmiller, a Long Island native, and Mike Goulian, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, also will be flying high — and low — and just about every which way.

The Thunderbirds' new show, first performed at Florida’s Cocoa Beach Air Show in mid-April, runs 50 minutes, down from 90 minutes.

The cancellation of so many air shows last year gave the squadron time to rethink their performance — in between honoring health care workers and first responders battling COVID-19 by flying over major cities. In New York City, they were even joined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, perhaps their biggest rivals, in late April, when they flew down the Hudson River and over Central Park.

Two of the Thunderbirds' new maneuvers are the Low Bomb Burst and Hit, and the Stinger Cross Break.

Air show aficionados may recognize at least one of the new patterns: a heart.

"The crowd absolutely loves it," Oliver said.

A heart is one of the most well-known formations of the Royal Canadian Air Force's Snowbirds precision flying team.

Asked if the Thunderbirds were mirroring their northern neighbors, Oliver replied: "We’re not quite sure; somebody is definitely copying somebody. The Snowbirds do a heart very well."