The Thunderbirds converted from the Talon to the F-16 in 1982- the only thing missing from H. Ross Perot Jr.’s T-38 that would make it an accurate representation of a Thunderbird Talon is a shark fin VHF antenna on the dorsal fuselage behind the cockpit. I believe the flag panel on the forward fuselage is accurate for the 1980 show season. Perot Jr’s T-38 is named “The Spirit of Alliance” as his real estate development company, Hillwood, was the driving force behind the construction and development of Fort Worth Alliance Airport. When flying at air shows it uses the call sign “Spirit 1”. The first time I saw the Thunderbirds as a kid was their last season with the F-4 Phantom but most of what I remember was the Talon show. It didn’t have the roar of the Phantom or the glitz of the Fighting Falcon, but the Talon was a sleek jet and the stylized “stinger” scheme on the underside accentuated that. Given the Talon’s small wings, the usual stylized Thunderbird motif wasn’t used again until the team converted to the Fighting Falcon in 1982. The amount of fuel used by the six-jet Talon team was equal to the fuel used by a *single" Thunderbird Phantom during a show. Given the fuel prices of the early and mid-1970s, the conversion to the Talon was quite a boon to the bottom line not to mention the ease of maintenance for the Talon compared to the Phantom. Not to mention the recruiting value that neophyte pilots for the USAF would train in the very aircraft that the Thunderbirds flew. I never get tired of seeing this jet in action. Along with the Blue Angels A-4 Skyhawk, this was a big part of my air show experiences as a wee fart. November Aviation Photo Challenge | @kjdphoto1971 | #1119planes | “Jet Trainer” | Day 4 #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KAFW #AFW #AllianceAirport #FWAAS2017 #AllianceAirShow2017 #airport #planespotting #Northrop #T38 #Talon #Thunderbirds #Spirit1 #SpiritofAlliance #RossPerot #instagramaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #mil_aviation_originals #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge (at Fort Worth Alliance Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4bwspDhXm9/?igshid=1apr3bjk86x8z