Rome Native Returns with Thunderbirds in April

Native son Eric Gordon, a U.S. Air Force master sergeant, returns to Rome in April for the Wings Over North Georgia Air Show.

Gordon is the maintenance production superintendent for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration squadron, which will perform at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport on April 3-4.

 

With the Thunderbirds, manages the ground team that gets jets in the air for more than 100 demonstrations every year at more than 30 different locations.

 

Gordon was born at Floyd Medical Center, now known as Atrium Health Floyd, and spent his first 18 years in Rome before joining the Air Force in 2008. He went to North Heights Elementary School and Rome Middle School before graduating from Rome High School.  He played baseball and basketball at the Rome Recreation Center from kindergarten through sixth grade and cultivated an early love for aviation by joining the Bartow County Modelers Aviation Club to fly remote-controlled airplanes and helicopters.  As a youth, he was an active member of the Rome community.

 

While in service, Gordon has been stationed at Shaw AirForce Base in South Carolina, Aviano Air Base in Italy, Edwards Air Force Base in California, Osan Air Base in the Republic of Korea, and Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. He is currently stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, home of the Thunderbirds.

 

Gordon’s unique role with the Thunderbirds includes oversight of aircraft maintenance operations, managing personnel and resources, ensuring compliance with technical and safety standards, and coordination of complex maintenance schedules to maintain mission readiness.

 

This year, with Rome hosting the Thunderbirds for the first time at the air show site, Gordon, his fellow crew members and the jet pilots will participate in local events and visit with locals prior to their air show performances thanks to a recent runway extension at Russell Regional Airport.  The Thunderbirds have flown from Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta during prior WONG performances because the Russell Regional Airport was too short for takeoffs and landings.

 

But the Airport now has a fully functional 7,010-foot runway thanks to a $5.7 million improvement project funded with SPLOST (special purpose, local-option sales tax) funding. The last asphalt on the runway extension was finished just before Christmas, according to Airport Manager John Carroll.

 

WONG returns to Rome, GA early this year following closely on the heels of a successful, civilian-only air show last October during the federal government shutdown.

John Cowman, president of event organizer JLC AirShow Management, secured a commitment from the Thunderbirds for the 12th WONG event Friday, April 3, and Saturday, April 4.

 

The Thunderbirds, an elite squadron comprised of the Air Force’s finest military personnel, was formed in 1953 and tours the United States and the world performing aerobatic formation and solo flying demonstrations.

 

Joining the Thunderbirds on Easter weekend will be the first-time WONG performances by the Bayou Militia and Ghostwriter AirShows.

 

The 159th Fighter Wing (159 FW) is an F-15C Eagle unit of the Louisiana National Guard stationed at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans. The unit is dubbed the “Bayou Militia.  The four-ship 159 FW performances showcase powerful “show of force” demonstrations with high-speed passes and low approaches, offering a rare opportunity to see the legacy McDonnell Douglas F-15C models in action.

 

GhostWriter Airshows bills itself as a “three-act” performance team, demonstrating aerobatic prowess, a night flight featuring LED lights and pyrotechnics, as well as skywriting words or images up to 10 miles across.  Nathan K. Hammond pilots the GhostWriter aircraft, a 1956 deHavilland Chipmunk originally designed as a trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force now modified as a “Super Chipmunk” for aerobatics and skywriting.

 

Also on board for the April 2026 iteration of WONG are; the Fox Jet Sailplane, Kyle Fowler’s Long EZ experimental aircraft, the Chuters Parachute Team, the Smoke N Thunder jet car, the Outlaw Jet Team, the Georgia State Patrol SWAT Team, and the vintage “Class of ‘45” — Scott Yoak’s P-51D Mustang and Jim Tobul’s F4U Corsair.

 

Tickets for the WONG Air Show will be available at https://www.wingsovernorthgeorgia.com/guest-information/ticket-options. Tickets must be purchased online and in advance as no tickets will be sold on the day of the air show performances. For additional show information, follow the air show’s Facebook page or visit the Wings Over North Georgia website at  https://www.WingsOverNorthGeorgia.com.