COLUMBUS AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The skies above Columbus Air Force Base are usually filled with the sounds of T-6 Texan II, T-38 Talon, and T-1 Jayhawk aircraft as Undergraduate Pilot Training students strive to earn their wings, but not today. The small white object appeared just above the horizon, a glint from the cockpit canopy signaled that this aircraft was different. Within moments the silhouette of an F-16 Fighting Falcon streaked overhead from behind the wing headquarters, a quick flash of red and an underbelly of the iconic United States Air Force Thunderbirds solidified the arrival of the Thunder Over Columbus 2024 Air Show.
CAFB officially opened its gates to more than 35,000 air show spectators and community guests on September 21-22 and featured a return of the anticipated STEM Expo on September 19-20 for local schools and over 2,500 students from the surrounding Golden Triangle Region.
“The STEM Expo was a huge success for Columbus and the students,” said Amber Meiborg, 14th Flying Training Wing school liaison officer and Thunder Over Columbus 2024 STEM Expo coordinator. “The communities on and off base really came together to make this into a truly special event for the kids. The STEM team and volunteers from the flying training squadrons put in the extra effort to make this event come to life for the students and we hope to have even more STEM exhibitors next time.”
Planning for the Thunder Over Columbus 2024 Air Show began in July of 2023 and focused on lessons learned from the previous air show with a special focus on improving the traffic and parking plans. A small but important feature of the plan involved a fleet of passenger golf carts and traffic staff assisting the elderly and any guests with mobility restrictions needing transportation to their vehicles, in addition to continuously operating shuttle buses.
“The team has been working really hard to make this a great event and show the public what we do here at Columbus,” said Col. James Blech, 14th Flying Training Wing commander. “After over a year of preparation, it’s great to see all of our efforts come to fruition and show our appreciation to the local community that supports us to execute our mission of training world class pilots.”
Thunder Over Columbus featured performers such as the U.S. Air Force’s premiere Air Demonstration Squadron known as the United States Air Force Thunderbirds, the F-35 Lightning II Demonstration team, the C-17 Globemaster Demonstration team, and seven unique professional aerial performers and aircraft. The air show also showcased 20 static aircraft displays, including every fighter aircraft in the USAF inventory.
Air shows provide the public with up-close interactions to meet Air Force service members from different career fields and allows them to gain insight into career opportunities and capabilities of the Air Force. These outreach events showcase U.S. military capabilities in action and provide a glimpse into the world’s premier Air Force.
“Mississippi is my home state, leading this air show was a great learning experience and really opened my eyes to the incredible amount of effort that goes into these events,” said Lt. Col. Boston “Rowdy” Little, Thunder Over Columbus 2024 Air Show director. “Giving back to the community and inspiring the next generation makes me proud of all that we have accomplished.”
Thunder Over Columbus is set to return in 2026.