OCEAN CITY, Md. — The Air Force's elite Thunderbird jets returned to the sky Saturday two weeks after a crash in Colorado.
On June 2, Maj. Alex Turner ejected safely as his Thunderbird jet crashed during a fly-over for the Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colo.
On Saturday, the Thunderbirds headlined the Ocean City Air Show in Maryland for their first performance since the crash.
Their performance featured aerial acrobatics that brought the jets together in close proximity.
The F-35 Heritage Team, the latest in stealth jets, made its air show debut this year, with Ocean City being one of 16 total performances.
"There's a lot of coordination required," said Maj. Will Andreotta, to prepare for these events. "We fly in with two jets, a primary and spare, just in case anything happens to go wrong to the main jet. Fortunately, we have a great maintenance team that makes sure everything is perfect before I take off."
Andreotta piloted the Air Force F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The F-35 is used by the 61st Air Squadron, also known as the "Top Dogs," based out of Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, said Staff Sgt. Tyler Frantz of the F-35 Lightning's 10-man maintenance team. Pilot instruction for the F-35 takes place at Luke Air Force Base.
Andreotta flew the F-35 alongside the P-51 Mustang, as symbolism of the past and future of the Air Force.
While OC Air Show's primary concerns are good family fun and celebrating the armed services through undying patriotism, Andreotta, who has served in the military for 12 years, said recruitment and inspiring interest in the Air Force are also crucial parts of the day's events.
"We're Air Force first. Our first concern is getting people excited about the Air Force," Andreotta said. "We want people to come out, have fun, and just really get an appreciation for these aircraft and the people that fly them. The second thing is getting people interested in the Air Force, and to talk about our experiences."
Staff Sgt. Thomas Pulcher of the Army recruiting center in Salisbury, who ran the Army recruitment tent at the Air Show, explained the kind of impact they see from the show.
"We usually drive pretty good recruitment every year," Pulcher said. "Not necessarily from locals, but we have a lot of people down here from the rest of Maryland, or Virginia or even further. In general it's good for the Army as a whole, not just locally."
During the show, an announcer paid tribute to the late Capt. Jeff Kuss of the Navy's Blue Angels. Kuss died when the jet he piloted crashed after takeoff for a practice flight in Smyrna, Tenn.
The Blue Angel and Thunderbird crashes both happened June 2 in unrelated incidents.
"The Blue Angels had made it their mission to travel the country and show what these aircraft are capable of to people who might never have had the opportunity," the announcer said. "... Kuss had made that mission his mission, and this flight has been dedicated to him."
An F-18 Super Hornet, which flew over the beach, had the No. 6 on its side, in honor of Kuss' position as Blue Angel No. 6
As Kenny Loggins' Highway to the Danger Zone blasted over the PA, the F-18 Super Hornet slowly performed a barrel roll over the beach, the jet engine blaring deafeningly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that is the sound of freedom," the announcer said.
Contributing: Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY. Follow Gino Fanelli on Twitter: @GinoFanelli
