A Tucson dentist who has volunteered for decades fixing teeth for the needy will get "the best thank-you ever" - a ride over the city with the Air Force Thunderbirds.

"I'm hoping to just have a blast up there," Bryan Foulk said Monday after officials at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base declared him the winner of the Thunderbirds' "hometown hero" contest.

"I guarantee you, it will be the experience of a lifetime," Col. Robert Singleton, D-M's vice commander, told him.

Foulk, 51, has been doing volunteer dentistry work with the Youth on Their Own program and with St. Elizabeth's Health Center for more than 20 years. That's in addition to running a dental practice on the northwest side.

A Cessna pilot and aircraft enthusiast, Foulk has watched the Thunderbirds perform at a number of past D-M air shows, never imagining he'd one day get to fly along. He'll be traveling in a two-seater version of the team's F-16 jets.

Foulk was one of 17 nominees considered for the prize. The air base took nominations from the community over the last few months.

The Thunderbirds are scheduled to perform at this year's D-M air show on March 20 and 21. They're due to arrive a few days prior and take Foulk for his ride on March 18.

Contact reporter Carol Ann Alaimo at 573-4138 or calaimo@azstarnet.com