The Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team will begin its 2013 flying show season on Feb. 24 with a flyover of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 race in Daytona Beach, Fla., according to a release from Nellis AFB, Nev., home of the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds fly F-16s. Ten days after the Daytona 500 flyover, on March 6, the team will perform its approval show at Nellis for the Air Combat Commander before embarking on its tour of the continental United States. Among the stops, the Thunderbirds will perform on May 29 in Colorado Springs, Colo., at the Air Force Academy graduation. They will leave the United States on Aug. 22 for a nearly six-week-long Pacific/Asia tour. The Air Force has not yet announced the dates and locations of those shows. The 2013 performances will conclude back at Nellis during the weekend of Nov. 9-10, states the release, which includes the list of events. The details of several US stops on the Thunderbirds’ tour are also still to be determined.
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.