Air Force Thunderbirds to start practicing over Topeka for Thunder Over the Heartland

TOPEKA (KSNT) - Topekans will need to keep their eyes on the sky this week as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds arrive for an upcoming show.

Thunder Over the Heartland is set to bring firework displays, historic aircraft and big sky performances this week from Oct. 10-13. The Air Force Thunderbirds will also be in attendance and will begin practicing their maneuvers above the Capital City in preparation for the event.

President Brooks Pettit with Vaerus Aviation, Inc. told 27 News the first Thunderbird plane will arrive on Tuesday, Oct. 8 with the full team being assembled by Wednesday, Oct. 9. Topekans may hear or see the Thunderbirds as well in the leadup to the start of Thunder Over the Heartland, according to a recent social media post.

Pettit said a skywriter plane will also be flying overhead soon advertising for the air show. Other performers include the following:

• Kansas ANG KC-135 Stratotanker.
• Douglas C-47 Dakota.
• Douglas AC-47 "Spooky."
• Boeing RC-135.
• Douglas DC-3 - Vaerus Jet Sales.
• Brian Correll Pitts S2S.
• Titan Aerobatic Team.
• Rob Holland.
• Bob Carlton Foxjet.
• P-51 Swamp Fox.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MIG-17.
• Mister Mulligan.
• Team Fasttrax.
• Matt Younkin Twin Beech.
• Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet.
• Nathan Hammond Super Chipmunk.
• S-2 Firetracker.

To learn more about the event, including the full schedule and ticket prices, click here.

For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. 

Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf