Saturday he’ll be piloting one. And not just any one.

Rick Goodman, graduate of Del City in 1993, flies the number 5 plane for the Thunderbirds. On Thursday June, 15 2010 The Thunderbirds scouted the area of Tinker Air Force Base during the media preview day. Photo by Mitchell Alcala, The Oklahoman

Maj. Goodman will command an F-16 Fighting Falcon as it maneuvers through the air with the rest of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the headlining activity at Tinker’s Star Spangled Salute Air Show.

“It’s like riding a roller coaster, except three times as powerful,” Goodman said of the force generated by the fighter’s acrobatic power — about nine times the pull of Earth’s gravity.

The Thunderbirds are at the top of the bill for Saturday’s air show, which boasts six hours of flying activities in addition to showings of static craft, ground entertainment and a fireworks show.

Goodman graduated from Del City in 1993 and said the decision to attend the Air Force Academy was heavily influenced by the time he spent at Tinker, where his father served as an Air Force chaplain from 1989 to 1993.

“I spent a lot of time on the base,” Goodman said. “I loved it growing up and so I decided that this was something I wanted to do.”

Now Goodman has returned to Oklahoma as an ambassador of the U.S. Air Force, a Thunderbird pilot.

He looks the part, too, all 6 feet, 3 inches of him, from his dark blue beret and clean-shaven chin down to the shine on his black, government-issue boots. “I’ve worn them so much, they’re about as comfortable as a pair of slippers,” he said.

Goodman has flown in England, Turkey and Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He was plucked from a position teaching pilots at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas to become a Thunderbird pilot, traveling the country to both perform and educate the public about the field of aeronautics.

Admission and parking is free for the air show, which runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s our way of saying thanks to the community for all their tremendous support over the years, so we have an open house. We invite people out and say ‘Hey, come on and see what your Air Force does,’” said Ron Mullan, chief of media operations at the base.

Tinker public affairs officials said plenty of free water will be available for patrons of the show, but visitors should remember to bring sun protection and chairs to carry around, because of the immense size of the base and a lack of seating.

Not people from Tinker, but neat looking

“Transformers” star Megan Fox said she doesn’t like seeing herself onscreen, but Lt. Col. Jimmy Warren said he’s looking forward to the DVD of “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” — so he can hit pause and show his kids exactly where he is.

Getting rewarded for hard work usually involves a small get-together featuring cake or pastries, but a select group from Tinker Air Force Base was rewarded with something bigger: an opportunity to appear in “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”

Director Michael Bay approached members of the 552nd Air Control Wing with this scenario: There’s the “mother of all battles” happening on the ground in Egypt, and you’re here to give air support to make sure the Autobots beat the Decepticons, Warren said.

“(It) was very similar to what we do, at times, on our aircrafts,” Warren said. “(We did) what we would really do … if we were deployed somewhere.”

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