Thunderbird Boss "Astro" on the Team's Rebirth & Netflix Movie

Col. Justin "Astro" Elliott was the Boss of the USAF Thunderbirds for the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He is a central figure in the new Netflix documentary "Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds". In this wide ranging interview, Aerospace Horizons host Evan Scott asks Astro about his career, time with the Thunderbirds, and experience shooting the film. They also find plenty of time to discuss in-depth and nerdy technical details about the demonstration, and finally put to rest some misconceptions about the team.

Special Thank you to Col. Elliott for taking the time to make this interview happen.

00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Origins of the Documentary
05:54 - Radical Candor about the Thunderbird’s Misteps
09:58 - Filming & Kevin LaRosa
15:05 - Mortality & Cajun
17:41 - Service Above Self
21:34 - Astro’s First Year and Training
25:26 - Handing off to the next Boss
27:51 - The importance of Communication Skills
31:39 - How Team Progression Works on the Thunderbirds
35:53 - Do applicants need to be proficient in the F-16
40:13 - Could the F-16s on the team be used in Combat?
44:04 - Why doesn’t the team fly 5th Gen Fighters?
46:21 - Taming the Viper
50:01 - How much gas is used during the demo?
52:45 - How insanely hard is the 5-card formation?
56:00 - Importance of Optimism
59:39 - Bye!