U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds arrive at Jersey Shore ahead of Atlantic City Airshow

U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds arrive ahead of Atlantic City Air Show

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- The U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds arrived at the Jersey Shore Monday afternoon ahead of Wednesday's Atlantic City Airshow. 

Major Lauren Schlichting, call sign "Threat," is Thunderbird number four.

"Sometimes when you stop and smell the roses, you're like, 'holy buckets, I can't believe that my brain and hands know how to do this,'" Maj. Schlichting said. "It's like a roller coaster without rails. It's so much fun. It's such an honor to do this and wear this patch."

She said the Thunderbirds spent their Monday afternoon surveying Atlantic City ahead of the show.

"The Atlantic City show line, with the large buildings, is definitely something that we had to slightly adjust our altitudes for," Maj. Schlichting said. "Obviously, we fly low and fast, so in order to not hit buildings, we've adjusted some of our lines in order to one, miss them and be over them."

As a female Thunderbird, Maj. Schlichting hopes to inspire little girls out on Atlantic City's beach to follow their dreams.

"When I see little girls, or just little kids in general, get excited about aviation or just excited about whatever their passion is, I see me when I was 8-years-old," Maj. Schlichting said.

The Thunderbirds are scheduled to perform at the Atlantic City Airshow around 2:45 pm Wednesday. 

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