{"id":489,"date":"2022-11-22T15:41:41","date_gmt":"2022-11-22T15:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/?page_id=489"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T18:54:30","slug":"the-pilots","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/","title":{"rendered":"The Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chris \"CT\" Thomas - Lead Pilot<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Chris Thomas is a third-generation pilot and earned his pilot\u2019s license at the age of 17 with his father as his flight instructor. \u00a0He has logged over 21,000 hours of flight time in more than 120 types of aircraft.\u00a0\u00a0 When not flying airshows, Chris is a Captain and Line Check Airman for a major airline.\u00a0A graduate of Norfolk State University, Chris spent the 1990s as a professional firefighter for the Virginia Beach Fire Department. \u00a0Concurrently, he earned his aviation ratings and worked a multitude of aviation jobs. Chris left the VBFD in 1998 and became an airline pilot. \u00a0An avowed aviation buff, he pursued competitive aerobatics. formation flying and has participated in numerous events on the east coast. \u00a0He also specialized in Upset Prevention & Recovery Training with the only Part 141 UPRT provider in the United States, educating select clients.<\/p>

Chris spent seven years with the GEICO Skytyper Airshow Team and served as the team\u2019s Operations Officer.\u00a0 Chris was the Right-Wing Pilot in the #2 position and an alternate #4 Slot Pilot.<\/p>

\u00a0When not flying, Chris can be found riding motorcycles, playing guitar, or traveling. \u00a0 He resides in Virginia Beach, VA with his wife and has two adult daughters<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Mike \"Buick\" Eberhardt - Wingman<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\u00a0<\/div>

Growing up in New Hampshire, Mike got his start in aviation at 14 years old as a sailplane pilot. While attending Daniel Webster College he was already working as a flight instructor in both sailplanes and powered aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0After college, Mike served as a Naval Aviator for 22 years flying both the F-14 Tomcat and A-4 Skyhawk. In addition to accumulating over 6000 hours experience he flew over 100 hours of combat in support of Operation Desert Shield. Upon retiring. he continued working in aviation as a professional adversary pilot ,training the next generation of fighter pilots. Currently, he is a 747 Captain and for a large world-wide cargo airline and has 20,000+ hours of flight experience in a wide variety of aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0Mike brings extensive airshow experience to Warbird Thunder Airshows as former member of the Heavy Metal Jet Team (L-39), the Black Diamond Jet Team (L-39 & Mig-17), as civilian A-4 Skyhawk demonstration pilot and a 15-year member of the GEICO Skytyper Airshow Team.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0Mike is a father of two and a proud grandfather.\u00a0He resides in Miami, FL with his wife Nikki.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div>

\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"1H7A5687\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Chris “Soto” Orr – Wingman<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Chris Orr developed a love for aviation attending air shows as a boy. He dreamed of flying for the military and followed a unique pathway to attain that dream. His desire to serve in the military led him to enlist in the Army Reserves as an infantryman at age 17. He left the Army three years later when he was awarded a Naval ROTC scholarship at the University of Colorado. Upon graduation, Chris was accepted to Navy Flight School in Pensacola, FL.\u202f\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/div>
\u202f\u00a0<\/div>
After earning his wings, Chris was selected to fly the F-14 Tomcat, completing two tours aboard the USS Constellation, 35 combat missions over Iraq, 300 carrier arrested landings and two Top Ten Hook awards for achieving some of the highest landing grades in his carrier air wing. He later flew the A-4 Skyhawk as an aggressor pilot\/instructor.\u00a0<\/div>
\u202f\u00a0<\/div>
After the Navy, Chris flew the C-130 Hercules for the New York Air National Guard. He completed two more combat tours and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the military with 25 years of service. Chris was also a long-time member of the GEICO Skytyper Airshow Team serving as both a Lead Solo and Wingman.\u00a0 Today, Chris is a Captain at a major airline and lives on Long Island with his wife and two children.\u00a0<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Paul Gleaton – Airshow Maintenance & Ground Support<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Paul Gleaton provides Warbird Thunder\u2019s airshow maintenance & ground support.\u00a0\u00a0Paul is a FAA certificated airframe & powerplant mechanic and also a private pilot.\u00a0\u00a0He spent over 30 years as a professional firefighter and paramedic and retired as a Captain with the Virginia Beach Fire Departmnet.\u00a0\u00a0Paul was also member of Virginia FEMA Task Force 2 responding to National Disasters as an expert rescuer in building collapse, confined space and high angle rescue.<\/i><\/div>
\u00a0<\/i><\/div>
Paul lives in Virginia Beach, VA.\u00a0 He is an avid outdoorsman, adventurer, and can often be found building his own Vans RV-8 aircraft or spending time with his two young grandsons.<\/i><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chris “CT” Thomas – Lead Pilot Chris Thomas is a third-generation pilot and earned his pilot\u2019s license at the age of 17 with his father as his flight instructor. \u00a0He has logged over 21,000 hours of flight time in more than 120 types of aircraft.\u00a0\u00a0 When not flying airshows, Chris is a Captain and Line […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"no-sidebar","site-content-layout":"page-builder","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"disabled","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"disabled","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-489","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Team - Warbird Thunder Airshows<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Team - Warbird Thunder Airshows\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chris “CT” Thomas – Lead Pilot Chris Thomas is a third-generation pilot and earned his pilot\u2019s license at the age of 17 with his father as his flight instructor. \u00a0He has logged over 21,000 hours of flight time in more than 120 types of aircraft.\u00a0\u00a0 When not flying airshows, Chris is a Captain and Line […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Warbird Thunder Airshows\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-18T18:54:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2444\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/\",\"name\":\"The Team - Warbird Thunder Airshows\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic-2048x1152.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-22T15:41:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-18T18:54:30+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic.jpg\",\"width\":2444,\"height\":1375},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Team\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/\",\"name\":\"Warbird Thunder Airshows\",\"description\":\"Not your ordinary Aerobatic Team\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Warbird Thunder Airshows\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Final_yellow_new-scaled.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Final_yellow_new-scaled.png\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":2560,\"caption\":\"Warbird Thunder Airshows\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Team - Warbird Thunder Airshows","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Team - Warbird Thunder Airshows","og_description":"Chris “CT” Thomas – Lead Pilot Chris Thomas is a third-generation pilot and earned his pilot\u2019s license at the age of 17 with his father as his flight instructor. \u00a0He has logged over 21,000 hours of flight time in more than 120 types of aircraft.\u00a0\u00a0 When not flying airshows, Chris is a Captain and Line […]","og_url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/","og_site_name":"Warbird Thunder Airshows","article_modified_time":"2026-02-18T18:54:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2444,"height":1375,"url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/","url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/","name":"The Team - Warbird Thunder Airshows","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic-2048x1152.jpg","datePublished":"2022-11-22T15:41:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-18T18:54:30+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Chris-bio-pic.jpg","width":2444,"height":1375},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/the-pilots\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Team"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/","name":"Warbird Thunder Airshows","description":"Not your ordinary Aerobatic Team","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#organization","name":"Warbird Thunder Airshows","url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Final_yellow_new-scaled.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Final_yellow_new-scaled.png","width":2560,"height":2560,"caption":"Warbird Thunder Airshows"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489"}],"version-history":[{"count":119,"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2009,"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/489\/revisions\/2009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/warbirdthunder.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}