(U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.) — The U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) is set to host the 2024 graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 30 at 9:30 a.m. at Falcon Stadium and a live stream of the event can be viewed below once it begins.

Vice President Kamala Harris will be the commencement speaker and the Air Force Thunderbirds will perform a traditional flyover of Falcon Stadium during the cap toss, followed by an air show demonstration.

“That sight never gets old to me, I will watch jets taking off forever in a day,” Lt. Col. Taylor Wight, USAF Thunderbirds, call sign “Flash” explained. “I love it, just the sound of freedom.”

Created 71 years ago in 1953, the U.S. Air Force demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds, performs precision aerial maneuvers for people throughout the world.

“These are very intricate aircraft,” Lt. Col. Wight said. “There is no space left unavailable inside of them from the wiring to the components, and so when you’re flying them at 500 plus mph, pulling seven and a half to nine Gs, sometimes things get finicky.”

The Thunderbirds squadron is an air combat command unit made up of eight pilots, including six demonstration pilots.

“These are one of a kind and so we want to protect them, keep them safe, and also keep the pilots safe,” Lt. Col. Wight said.

A Thunderbirds air demonstration is a mix of formation flying and solo routines, the pilots perform approximately 30 maneuvers in a demonstration.

“If you’re a 200-pound person and we’re pulling nine Gs with you, you’re going to weigh 1,800 pounds,” Lt. Col. Wight explained. “Just think of a small car sitting on your chest trying to breathe through that and stay conscious.”

Before you see the Thunderbirds flying high above, each jet goes through a detailed inspection, including sending the pilots off with high energy.

“We have the best maintainers literally in the world,” Lt. Col. Wight explained. “They just love to express that excitement, express it to the pilots, let them know that they’re 100% fully committed to sending out a safe, reliable jet.”

Since 2019, tradition has taken an Olympian into the clouds, and while Olympic medalist swimmer Missy Franklin-Johnson didn’t get the opportunity to soar with the Thunderbirds, they made sure to make her feel a part of the team.

“Even though I’m disappointed we didn’t go up, I got to meet the rest of the team,” Franklin-Johnson explained. “To be on the tarmac, just amongst them is such an honor. I’m so thankful to the superintendent for choosing me to be here and especially for such an incredible weekend. I know we’re all so excited for our graduates at the Air Force Academy.”

On graduation day, gates open at 6:30 a.m. and more details about the ceremony along with other events being streamed that day can be found at the USAFA link above.