By SHAWNE WICKHAM | The New Hampshire Union Leader | Published: April 25, 2021 (Tribune News Service) The Thunderbirds are coming to New Hampshire in September, when Pease Air National Guard Base hosts its first air show in more than a decade. Landing the U.S. Air Force s elite jet demonstration team means submitting a request two years in advance, accepting whatever date the Thunderbirds offer, and building an air show around them, explained Major Shannon Van Splunder, the air show director. Not everyone who puts in gets them, she said. It s a competition. You have to write up a justification; you ve got to show you re really serious about putting on an air show.