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Close Window L-R: Capt. Jason McCree, USAF Thunderbirds, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, Ambassador James R. Keith and Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah observing the aerial demonstration performed by the Thunderbirds.
L-R: Capt. Jason McCree, USAF Thunderbirds, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, Ambassador James R. Keith and Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah observing the aerial demonstration performed by the Thunderbirds.
enlarge photo
L-R: Capt. Jason McCree, USAF Thunderbirds, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, Ambassador James R. Keith and Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah observing the aerial demonstration performed by the Thunderbirds.
L-R: Capt. Jason McCree, USAF Thunderbirds, Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, Ambassador James R. Keith and Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah observing the aerial demonstration performed by the Thunderbirds.

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds Wow Malaysian Audiences

On Saturday, October 3rd the Thunderbirds performed for an estimated crowd of 100,000, who withstood drizzling rain and high temperatures to get a close-up view of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds at Subang Airbase.

The Thunderbirds performed dozens of high-performance maneuvers during their spectacular 40-minute show, including several variations on their classic diamond formation, intentional near-misses at 500 mph, and special formations.  The audience arrived very early in the morning for the show, which began at approximately 11:45am. 

The Thunderbirds pilots leaving their aicraft after performeing their 40-minutes of death-defying aerobatics.
The Thunderbirds pilots leaving their
aircraft after performing their
40-minutes of death-defying
aerobatics.

Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor, U.S. Ambassador James Keith, Armed Forces chief General Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin and RMAF chief General Datuk Rodzali Daud were among the VIPs present at the show.  After their performance, the Thunderbirds presented the Sultan of Selangor with an signed lithograph expressing their appreciation to Malaysia and its people for the warmth and hospitality they were shown in KL this week.