F-16 Viper Demonstration Team
Air Combat Command’s single-ship F-16 display, flown by the 20th Fighter Wing from Shaw, known for its special liveries and a heavy international schedule.
F-16 Viper Demonstration Team: how the team came to be and what it flies today
East and West, then one Viper
Air Combat Command once ran separate East and West Coast F-16 demonstration teams. Both were cancelled after the 2013 sequester, and single-ship F-16 displays returned in 2015 as the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, with Captain Craig “Rocket” Baker as pilot. The team is drawn from the 20ª Ala de Caça at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, the home of the Air Force’s suppression-of-enemy-air-defences F-16 squadrons.
Shaw and the 20th Fighter Wing
The team has used paint as part of the show: a snakeskin “Venom” scheme in 2020 and, in 2024, a recreation of the red, white and blue YF-16 prototype livery for the type’s 50th anniversary, applied by Shaw’s corrosion shop in under eight weeks. The Air Force says the team flies around 25 shows a year across several countries.
Liveries and reach
Captain Taylor “FEMA” Hiester has commanded the team since at least the 2024 season and was recertified for 2026 on 22 January 2026 in a flight reviewed by the ACC commander, General Adrian Spain. The display aircraft is a single-seat F-16CM, and alongside the solo routine the team flies USAF Heritage Flight formations, rare formations of modern and legacy aircraft that the Air Force uses to show the evolution of air power and to honour Airmen across generations.
F-16 Viper Demonstration Team in numbers
The team
- Formation
- 1 aeronave
- Single F-16C demonstration
- Heritage Flight formations
A aeronave
- Flown
- General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon
- F-16C Fighting Falcon (2015–)
Lar
- Based at
- Base Aérea de Shaw
- 20th Fighter Wing, South Carolina
The display
- Aircraft in the display
- 1
Every type F-16 Viper Demonstration Team has flown
| Aeronave | Anos | Number | Observação |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics F-16CM Fighting Falcon | since 2015 | 1 | Single display aircraft; special liveries in 2020 and 2024. |
What F-16 Viper Demonstration Team is known for
- Single-ship F-16 demonstrations resumed in 2015 after the 2013 sequester ended the East and West teams (MILAVIA).
- “Venom” snakeskin livery in 2020 (Air & Space Forces Magazine).
- YF-16 prototype livery for the F-16’s 50th anniversary, unveiled May 2024 (Air & Space Forces Magazine).
- About 25 shows a year in four countries (Air & Space Forces Magazine).
Who leads F-16 Viper Demonstration Team
- Capt. Taylor “FEMA” Hiester · Commander and demonstration pilot, 2026 season
F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, year by year
East and West Coast F-16 demonstration teams cancelled under sequestration.
F-16 Viper Demo returns with Capt. Craig Baker.
Maj. Garret Schmitz takes over as pilot.
“Venom” special livery.
YF-16-style 50th anniversary livery unveiled; Capt. Taylor Hiester commander.
Certification flight at Shaw for the 2026 season, reviewed by Gen. Adrian Spain.
Everything people ask about F-16 Viper Demonstration Team
Where is the F-16 Viper Demo Team based?
What aircraft does the Viper Demo Team fly?
Who flies the F-16 Viper demo?
How many shows does the Viper Demo Team fly?
Around F-16 Viper Demonstration Team
Todos os fatos foram verificados.
- F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, Air Combat Command
- Trained, ready, certified: F-16 Viper Demonstration Team performs certification flight at Shaw AFB, Shaw Air Force Base
- USAF F-16 Viper Demo, MILAVIA
- F-16 Demo Team rolls out 50th anniversary paint scheme, Air & Space Forces Magazine
Verified 2026-10-02.