Warner Robins Demon becomes an Air Force Thunderbird

The Air Force Thunderbirds travel all over the country, but for one member of the team Warner Robins is the best stop.

Trey Whiteley, a 2008 graduate of Warner Robins High School, is assistant dedicated crew chief of Thunderbird 3.

The team was the featured performer in the Thunder Over Georgia air show held at Robins Air Force Base this weekend. In between making sure the plane assigned to him was ready to fly, Whiteley was able to catch up with a lot of friends.

“I don’t get the opportunity to come home a lot,” he said Sunday during a pause as he prepared the plane for the afternoon show. “It’s fantastic to be in a place doing my job where I get to see all of my friends and family that are here.”

His father was in the Air Force, and he lived all over the country until his dad transferred to Robins Air Force Base. Whiteley was in the eighth grade then, and he ended up staying in Middle Georgia until he graduated. It was the longest he had ever lived anywhere.

He never imagined when he became an aircraft sheet metal mechanic that it would result in people asking him for his autograph, but that’s what was happening at the show. He is in the middle of a three-year tour with the unit, with an option to go a fourth year.

“This job has been amazing” he said. “I never in my wildest dreams thought I’d be traveling as much as we travel here. I’ve gotten to see so many places on this team.”

Prior to joining the Thunderbirds he worked for a combat search-and-rescue squadron at Moody Air Force Base. He deployed multiple times to Afghanistan.

His parents have moved to Texas, where his family is from originally, but Whiteley said he considers Warner Robins his hometown.

He has taken full advantage of his trip home.

“Every second that I am not here I spend with my friends,” he said. “I have most of them hanging out here as well.”

His father did some recruiting for the Air Force and took Whiteley to many air shows, in which he saw the Thunderbirds perform. He never thought at that time that being a part of the Thunderbirds would even be a possibility for him. Once he was in the Air Force and learned that he could apply, he jumped at the chance.

“When I found out I was able to be a part of this, I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” he said. “It’s been a blessing, being a part of this team.”

This story was originally published October 2, 2016 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Warner Robins Demon becomes an Air Force Thunderbird."