LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Planes and pilots have been flying in from around the country for the Thunder Over Louisville air show. 

Hundreds of thousands of people gather to watch them every year.

"Seeing other people be inspired is just - it's refreshing," Lt. Col. Josh Ketterer, the director of operations for the Thunder air show, said.

This year, the show will have performances from the Air Force, Navy and the Army. There will be some newer models flying Thunder for the first time as well as historic planes. The Navy in particular is going to have a special legacy flight with four different planes coordinating in the routine.

Ketterer has been coordinating since 2010 and said the show is a "ridiculous amount of work" but so worthwhile.

"In our hearts, we all love it because for most of us, we fall in love with aviation and air shows," Ketterer said. "This reminds us why we do this and to see other people be inspired. It's refreshing, it kind of re-energizes me and that's why I love it so much."

He says Thunder isn't your run of the mill air show. Its very unique.

"An air show that falls in the confines of a regular airport is no big deal. Everybody knows there's the air. There's the airport. There's the runway. I'm gonna maneuver along that and everything's hunky dory. That's not what we do here. We have multiple bridges, multiple interstate highways, two states, three city governments, two county governments and everything is tied together," Ketterer said.

Expect performances from the Air Force, Navy, and Army. The big headliner this year is an F-35 demo.

"She'll shoot flares off while she's while she's flying on the show. So that's pretty darn cool," Ketterer said.

Fans will also get to see a Navy Legacy flight, and an EA-18 Growler and F-16 Fighting Falcons.

"All I hear is the radio calls that I'm making to my safety officer on the ground so I don't hear any of the music The cheery you don't see that people. It's very focused wanting to maintain safety of myself in airplane," Wolfe said.

Wolfe will be flying an F-35 Saturday.

"We do all the bombs and missiles, some of the high-speed subsonic passes, low speed capabilities, the high angle type of maneuvering of a general air show," Wolfe said. "Maneuvers, rolls, loops, inverted passes, that kind of stuff."

All together, it's a complex show with a lot of moving parts that takes all year to plan. Ketterer said its more than just flying the planes. The pilots are executing their training and there will be things not typically seen in an air show.

"Everyone, this team is top notch of their game, so we pick the best of the best and hopefully somebody out there says, 'Hey, I can do that job one day, that would be me and climb in to that cockpit,'" Wolfe said.

Ketterer hopes this year's show inspires more people to join the military.

"In our hearts we all love it because for most of us, we fall in love aviation and airshows, so this reminds us like why do we do this," Ketterer said.

Below is the full air show lineup:

  • 123rd Special Tactics Squadron Parachute Team (Louisville ANG Base, KY)
  • A-10 Warthog (122nd Fighter Wing, Ft. Wayne, IN)
  • C-130J Super Hercules (Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville ANG Base KY)
  • C-17 Globemaster III (167th Airlift Wing, ANG Base, Martinsburg, WV)
  • CT-155, (4 Wing Cold Lake, Royal Canadian Air Force, Alberta CA)
  • CT-142, (1 Wing, Royal Canadian Air Force, Winnipeg, CA)
  • E-2C Hawkeye, Naval Air Station Norfolk, VA
  • EA-18 Growler Demo Team, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, WA
  • F-16 Viper (180th FW, Toledo ANG, OH)
  • F-8F Bearcat
  • F-35A USAF Demo Team (Hill AFB, UT)
  • F-35C Navy Demo Team (Naval Air Station Lemoore, CA)
  • F-86 Saber, (Warbird Heritage Foundation, Waukegan IL)
  • HC-144 Ocean Sentry, (U.S. Coast Guard, Mobile AL)
  • KC-46 Pegasus, (Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst AFB, PA)
  • KC-135 Stratotanker (70th ARS, Grissom ARB, IN)
  • Navy Legacy Flight
  • P-8 Orion, (U.S. Navy Air Test and Eval Squadron 1, Pax River)
  • P-51D “Swamp Fox”
  • T-38A Talon (Beale AFB, CA)
  • Twin Beech Aerobatics Demo - Younkin Airshows
  • UH-60 Blackhawk, (8th Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, Ft. Knox KY)
  • UPS Airlines Airbus 300 (Louisville IAP, KY)
  • USAF Heritage Flight
  • U.S. Army Golden Knights, Fort Bragg, NC
  • Waco Taperwing (Nick Coleman, Louisville KY)
  • Yak 52 (Bowman Field, Louisville KY)

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