The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force （USAF）․［1］ The Thunderbirds‚ as they are popularly known‚ are assigned to the 57th Wing‚ and are based at Nellis Air Force Base‚ Nevada․ Created 71 years ago in 1953‚ the USAF Thunderbirds are the third-oldest formal flying aerobatic team （under the same name） in the world‚ after the French Air Force Patrouille de France formed in 1931 and the United States Navy Blue Angels formed in 1946․ The Thunderbirds Squadron tours the United States and much of the world‚ performing aerobatic formation and solo flying in specially marked aircraft․ The squadron's name is taken from the legendary creature that appears in the mythologies of several indigenous North American cultures․