Golden Knights, Thunderbirds bow out of Chicago Air & Water Show
March 12, 2013 12:51PM
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, seen here at a 2012 show in Washington state, will not perform at the Chicago Air and Water Show this year due to budgetary cuts as a result of sequestration. | AP file
Updated: March 12, 2013 11:55PM
The Air Force Thunderbirds may be celebrating their 60th anniversary this year, but they are not bringing the party to the Chicago Air & Water Show, Aug. 17-18.
The reason? It's the "s" word, the sequestration battle in Washington, D.C., which as forced the government to pull billions of dollars of funding from all sorts of programs, including Defense Department military air show teams.
According to a report by NBC5-Chicago, the Thunderbirds have cancelled all air shows after April 1. "Due to the impact of sequestration, all participation in air shows and flyovers after April 1 have been canceled," said Maj. Darrick Lee, spokesman for the Air Force Thunderbirds. More details
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