They'd Better Not Cut To Commercial

Even before the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts face off on the field for Super Bowl XLI this Sunday, there's gonna be an impressive show of power in the skies. The US Air Force's elite demonstration squadron, the "Thunderbirds," will help kick off festivities in Miami with a flyover of Dolphin Stadium on February 4.

Sources with the USAF tell Aero-News the team's six red, white and blue F-16 fighter jets will roar over the stadium in their signature six-ship Delta formation at the conclusion of the national anthem. The aircraft will fly over at about 500 feet above the stadium, at an impressive 450 miles per hour.

"We are honored to participate in the Super Bowl, especially this year, as the United States Air Force commemorates our 60th anniversary," said Lt. Col. Kevin Robbins, Thunderbird commander.

As Aero-News reported last month, the flyover is just one of many events the Thunderbirds will participate in during 2007 to commemorate the Air Force's six decades of air and space power. The team's exhibition season kicks off with appearances March 24-25 at Luke AFB in Arizona.

The US Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, four civilians and about 120 enlisted airmen performing in more than 25 career specialties. "Our job is to represent the thousands of airmen who serve their country on a daily basis, including the more than 25,000 fighting on the front lines in the global war on terror," Robbins said.

• Reminder: NOTAM 69015 Is In Effect For Super Bowl XLI

The Super Bowl is the nation's highest-rated TV program annually. According to the National Football League, more than 141 million viewers in the United States tuned in to the last Super Bowl game. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast to a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion in more than 230 countries and territories.

Now, here's hoping CBS doesn't chose the moment the Thunderbirds fly over, to cut to the latest and greatest Budweiser commercial...

FMI: www.af.mil, www.nfl.com