When Brianne Thompson, Niklas Daniel, David Cherry and Joost Luijsterburg joined the Luke Days 2026 Air Show, the jump included a few memorable surprises: a C-17 with no other jumpers aboard, a 500-square-foot American flag, and a photograph that would become a Parachutist centerspread.
The Luke Days 2026 Demonstration Jump
Luke Days is Luke Air Force Base’s public air show, featuring military and civilian aircraft demonstrations for the surrounding community. A skydiving demonstration, or demo jump, is a planned parachute performance into a designated event area for a live audience.
Being invited to perform at an event of this scale is a significant recognition of the team’s qualifications, experience and ability to work within a tightly coordinated airshow program.
Luke Days 2026 brought approximately 200,000 visitors to Luke Air Force Base for two days of aerial demonstrations and military aircraft displays.
The opening ceremonies included a demonstration jump by four members of the Skydive Arizona community: AXIS Flight School founders Brianne Thompson and Niklas Daniel, along with David Cherry and Joost Luijsterburg.
A C-17 to Themselves
The crew boarded a C-17 Globemaster III and discovered they were the only jumpers aboard.
Their video, The Sights and Sounds of Luke Days 2026, takes viewers from inside the C-17 to the skies above Luke Air Force Base.
Flying a 500-Square-Foot American Flag
For the demonstration, Brianne and Joost landed first, because they were flying smaller, high-performance parachutes. Joost is also an F-35 pilot stationed at Luke Air Force Base.
Nik flew a 500-square-foot American flag over the base. A flag of that size must remain secured during exit and deployment before being released under canopy. Nik then had to manage the flag while controlling his parachute and approaching the designated landing area.
Nik held a USPA Professional Exhibition Rating (Pro Rating), the qualification used for public demonstration jumps. He followed a specific flight path to remain predictable for David and champion aerobatic pilot Aarron Deliu, who made multiple close passes. Nik also timed his landing to the final word of the national anthem.
The result was an American flag descending over Luke Air Force Base in front of thousands of spectators.
Capturing the Centerspread
While Nik flew the flag, David documented the jump from the air.
David Cherry of Flying Pig Studios has completed more than 5,300 skydives, including over 2,300 camera jumps. His experience includes photographing competitions, record attempts, large formations, and other complex aerial projects.
During the Luke Days jump, David captured Nik looking directly into the camera above the base. The photograph was later selected for the June 2026 Parachutist centerspread.
From Eloy to Luke Air Force Base
AXIS Flight School is based at Skydive Arizona, where Brianne and Nik work with recreational, competitive, and military skydivers.
The Luke Days demonstration gave the crew an unusual opportunity to apply that experience aboard a C-17 at one of Arizona’s largest aviation events. It also produced a photograph that carried the jump from Luke Air Force Base to the pages of Parachutist.