Strong winds ground the Thunderbirds at Davis-Monthan air show

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - Strong winds whipping through Tucson today grounded the Air Force Thunderbirds at the Davis-Monthan air show Saturday.

Tens of thousands waited anxiously in anticipation of the headline show but the show could not go on for safety reasons.

At the base, pilots and the maintenance teams were all set to go and take off down the runway, but winds were blowing more than 25 knotts.

The Thunderbirds said that's the absolute maximum they can fly in because the planes travel as close as 18 inches from each other.

The grounded planes left a lot of fans disappointed.

"A lot of waiting and not seeing them," Jaromir Kubias said. "I feel that they could at least show us something: Make a few booms; blow our eardrums."

"We certainly want nothing better than to perform but when you're looking at those windsocks and they're standing straight out at high winds, we'd rather make sure the crowd has a safe and enjoyable day without any mishaps," said Thunderbirds Major Darrick Lee.

"If it's not the best conditions -- that's ok -- we'll come back again tomorrow!" Michelle Doyle said.

The Air Force is hopeful the winds will not be as strong Sunday so they can still put on a show for Tucson at 2 p.m.

Story and video:   http://www.jrn.com