JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds touched down at Naval Air Station Jacksonville Thursday.
NAS JAX will host one of the military’s most unique aviation events, featuring both the Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels performing at the same show.
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The joint air show, set for October 17-18, 2026, will mark the Thunderbirds’ first-ever performance at NAS Jacksonville, though the team previously performed at Jacksonville Beach in 1969, according to a statement from NAS JAX.
The visit carried extra significance for one of the pilots. Lt. Col. Tyler Keener, the team’s operations officer, found himself flying over familiar territory. As a graduate of The Bolles School, Keener grew up watching planes cross Jacksonville’s skies.
“Man, this is an incredible homecoming. Never thought I would be able to do this in a jet,” he said shortly after landing. “Talking to Jacksonville approach and then the tower and flying over the airfield that I grew up looking at from across the river is a special moment.”
Keener moved to Jacksonville when he was five years old after his father, an Air Force pilot, was stationed in the River City.
“It’s really special. It’s how I ended up here as a kid. My dad moved here on a Navy exchange as an Air Force pilot and then retired out of the Florida Air National Guard,” Keener said.
The visit also provided a family reunion. Keener hadn’t seen his wife and children in a month due to the team’s intensive winter training schedule in preparation for their upcoming show season.
“That goes from March to November and is very busy,” Keener said. “So to find a moment where I could rejoin with my wife and kids was special especially back home.”
His kids, each 6 and younger, jumped into his arms as he got out of the jet.
The Thunderbirds are in town to complete a site survey ahead of their October show.
Following their Jacksonville visit, the Thunderbirds will head to Daytona, where they’re scheduled to perform a flyover at the Daytona 500.
For more information about the upcoming air show, visit www.nasjaxairshow.com.