Aviation Heritage Museum to Launch Thunderbirds Exhibit March 30

A Celebration of The Thunderbirds

Bowling Green, KY – The Aviation Heritage Museum has announced an exciting new addition to their collection, meant to honor an iconic part of the United States Air Force. On March 30, the museum will unveil an exhibit dedicated to The Thunderbirds, an elite Air Force demonstration team that has been performing air shows around the globe since 1953.

“There’s never been anything like this, ever, to honor the Thunderbirds,” expressed Bob Bubnis, Executive Director of the Aviation Heritage Museum. “To be one of these guys, you had to be the best of the best.”

Inside the Exhibit

Titled “The Thunderbirds: The Pilots. The Crews. And their Legacy”, the exhibit is designed to celebrate and commemorate the members of the 1977-78 Thunderbirds team, including Bowling Green’s own Brigadier General Dan Cherry. Artifacts on display will include each member’s helmet, special flight suit, and various other mementos collected throughout their service with the Thunderbirds.

“He called together his teammates and told them that we were going to do a full-out exhibit on the Thunderbirds, and got them all back together to bring all these artifacts out and put them on display,” Bubnis said about Cherry’s involvement with organizing the exhibit.

Opening Day Festivities

Visitors on opening day will not only have the unique opportunity to observe these artifacts up close, but they will also hear personal stories and interviews from the very members of the team they are coming to admire.

“To celebrate the opening of this exhibit, they’ll be here to tell stories, sign autographs take pictures, it’s just going to be a big time,” Bubnis said. “In the cases where the pilots are no longer with us, their wives will be here telling their husband’s story.”

A highlight of the event will be former Thunderbird Matt Byrd performing an aerial demonstration with a specially designed GB-1 Gamebird aerobatic aircraft, featuring Thunderbird livery.

Join the Celebration

The grand opening is set to start at 10 a.m. on March 30. Attendees will have an opportunity to dive into the rich history of the Thunderbirds, interact with its veterans, see an exhilarating aerial stunt, and more. The event happens at the Aviation Heritage Museum located at 1825 Three Springs Rd.

For more details about the event or the museum, visit the Aviation Heritage Museum’s official website at aviationheritagepark.com.