Autumn Spectacle: The Air Force falcon

The Air Force falcon
by AutumnSpectacle.com staff E-mail

Mascots add flare to college football. Not so much those of the costumed variety, but live mascots are something special. Whether it’s an animal that is more at home in the wild (i.e. tiger or bear), on a farm (like a hog or horse) or in your lap (see Georgia’s bulldog), the presence of live mascots is unique to the Autumn Spectacle.

While many universities have a live animal on their sidelines, only one school proudly boasts of housing “America’s only live performing mascot.” The United States Air Force Academy’s live falcon provides a halftime show like no other.

courtesy Air Force SID

Once the teams head for the locker room for intermission, the falcon’s handler or “falconer” releases the bird for an aerial show worthy of the Air Force. Each home game (and sometimes road games), the falconer will take the falcon high into the stadium and turn it loose. The bird dives toward the field seeking a lure being spun in a circular motion by a second falconer standing at midfield. Just as the bird gets close, the falconer jerks the lure away and the bird rises and circles for another pass.

At this time, the crowd has a chance to see the bird up close. It usually makes a wide circle around the inside of the stadium, just a few yards above the heads of the fans. The falcon has keen eyesight and is, presumably, positioning itself for another dive at the lure. Once again, the lure is jerked away and the bird climbs again.

As it dives, the falcon can reach speeds of up to 120 miles per hour and the opportunity for the fans to watch the performance from this close is a treat for visiting fans and AF supporters. From time to time, the bird will circle the stadium and make a dash for freedom by flying off into the distance. It is for this reason that the bird wears a GPS monitor.

The overall performance takes several minutes and usually consists of 3-4 divebombs. To close the show, the falconer sees the bird diving and tosses the lure up into the air where the bird finally catches its prey.

Home games at Auburn have a somewhat similar show to open the game. Tiger the War Eagle leaves its cage from the upper deck, flies toward the student section, makes its flight between the uprights of the south goalpost and lands on the field. Whether this can be considered a live performance is open for debate.

Regardless, the performing falcon at Air Force simply reveals the depth of pageantry college football has to offer. You don’t have to see a game in South Bend, Ann Arbor, Norman or Knoxville to enjoy your gameday experience. Each is unique to itself and makes the sport the Autumn Spectacle.

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“Saturday afternoons in autumn. For more than a century they have stood as the showcase for what has become a true American ritual, a time reserved for one of the most richly colorful, spirited, and vibrantly exciting sports in all the world."
- Richard Whittingham, The Rites of Autumn