6-03-2024 2:21am

Holloman Legacy of Liberty Air Show and the Thunderbirds Wows Thousands

Chris Edwards Editor

Saturday June 1st and Sunday June 2nd, 2024 was a weekend of celebration and awe as Holloman Air Force base personnel and the visiting Thunderbirds put their best foot forward and wowed thousands with the expertise, style and power of the U.S. Air Force on display to the public.

The weekend began Saturday with a meet the pilots of the Thunderbirds event in Alamogordo at Washington Park. The visiting Thunderbird pilots and support staff mingled with locals, and were the stars of the weekend.

Local resident, Michelle Perry was awarded a ride with the Thunderbirds for a trip of a lifetime.

Then Sunday the big event as the Legacy of Liberty Airshow at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico returned and welcomed thousands of people to enjoy the free event.

People were treated to the opportunity to tour the inside of special aircraft, tanks and other military equipment and then to witness aerial maneuver demonstrations from some of the finest aerobatic pilots and show featuring military aircraft from past decades to the present, such as the F-16 fighter jets.

The highlight of the event, of course, was the aerial demonstration by the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds.” The squadron put on an immaculate display of the F-16 Fighter Falcon.

The Thunderbirds represent the top 1 percent of the Air Force and serve as ambassadors for both the service and the nation as a whole.

The free event was free and is held every other year, and also features food vendors and interactive displays from the military and other organizations. Thousands joined the event both locally as well as visitors from Texas, northern New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and California. We ran across 2 Brits, several French, Filipino, Taiwanese, and German visitors as well. The event was family friendly and brought lots of smiles.