Engines roared over the former Brunswick Naval Air Station Saturday, the first day of the Great State of Maine Air Show.
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly in formation over the crowds gathered at the Brunswick Executive Airport during the Great State of Maine Air Show Saturday, Aug. 3. Paul Bagnall / The Times Record
The United States Air Force Thunderbirds headlined the show, which was delayed several hours due to low clouds and hazy weather. Before the Thunderbirds took off later in the afternoon, a few demonstrations from the Navy F-18 Rhino and the Warbird Thunder air show flew over spectators.
The remainder of the air show roars throughout the Midcoast region Sunday, Aug. 4, with the Thunderbirds being more than halfway through their flight show across the country.
Thunderbird 6
On Thursday, The Times Record interviewed Air Force pilot Major Jeffrey Downie — call sign “Simmer” — pilot of Thunderbird 6. The group had just completed an aerial survey of the area around Brunswick Executive Airport in preparation for the big show.
Downie has been a pilot for a decade and grew up in Arlington, Virginia, outside of Arlington National Cemetery.
“I had the missing man formations ripping over the house all the time,” Downie said. “As a little kid, you look up and see those jets in the sky, and that loudness and raw power [makes] you wonder what that is like.”
Pilot for the U.S. Air Force Major Jeffrey Downie in front of Thunderbird 6 at the Brunswick Executive Airport on Aug. 1. Paul Bagnall / The Times Record
In the late 2000s, Downie was deployed to Afghanistan.
Each Thunderbirds pilot is on the team for two years and performs in multiple air shows across the nation before returning to Air Force service. It was the first time Downie and his Thunderbirds teammates had flown a show in Maine, with the last visit from the Thunderbirds coming 12 years ago.
“The part we like to focus on is the inspiration piece and getting out and meeting those kids in the crowd,” Downie said.
Downie flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon, also known as the Viper, in the Great State of Maine Air Show. The Viper was the first aircraft that Downie trained with during his Air Force training.
The Thunderbirds show training took about six months. The road tour schedule this year began in February, with the Thunderbirds team traveling across the country to different air shows every weekend for about 250 days until the beginning of November.
Local Navy pilot reflects on his reasons for joining
Glenn Miller is a VAQ-209 Star Warriors pilot for the Navy, based in Whidbey Island in Washington state. The squadron formed in 1976, the same year as the first “Star Wars” movie came out, inspiring the name, according to Miller.
The mission of the Star Warriors squadron was to launch electronic attacks and disrupt enemy air defenses, such as radar and surface-to-air missiles.
Miller has served in the Navy since 2008. He joined because his dad was a Navy pilot stationed in Brunswick. He has served on two deployments, including an eight-month deployment on an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and the Persian Gulf to help in Operation Enduring Freedom.
‘Showing up matters’
Palestinian-rights groups rally outside the Great State of Maine Air Show along Admiral Fitch Avenue in Brunswick on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 3. Paul Bagnall / The Times Record
Not everyone was happy to see the jets take flight. Palestinian-rights groups rallied at the entrance to the air show to decry the United States’ role in the ongoing war in Gaza, handing out pamphlets to drivers passing by.
“I will protest anywhere against this genocide that is happening against the people of Palestine,” said Jamila Levasseur from the Belfast area, who was joined by about 25 other protesters.
Another protester was Ray Lightheart, who believes in peace and wants people to stop “glorifying” warfare, concerned it could influence children to join the military.
“It’s important that we show solidarity and unity in our own message, even though we are spread out,” Lightheart said. “Showing up matters.”
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