Military Fly Over - The US Navy Blue Angels and US Air Force Thunderbirds honored COVID-19 first responders and essential workers with formation flights in April and May.
The Navy Blue Angels and Air Force Thunderbirds aviation teams embarked on a spectacular joint flight program in April to honor frontline workers and first responders during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Along with National Guard air missions in the US, more than 100 missions have been conducted in more than 40 states, hovering over communities that are not often exposed to this military technology and aerial precision. This new take on a 100-year-old tradition has raised questions about how flyways began, why they continue, and what flyways represent today.
Military Fly Over
It's not very often that the same display would apply to a football game or a funeral, but a flyover, defined as an airplane flying over a gathering, applies to both practice and legacy. Most air missions today are relatively simple affairs, with fewer than six aircraft performing a routine that any flying unit could perform after a few hours of training.
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Airplanes date back to the First World War. The first fighter pilots went over the battlefields after they were on the ground and counted the planes to see if their mission was successful or if friendly pilots were lost. In some of these flights, the wreath was dropped where another pilot had fallen.
Carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) during a memorial service for a fallen pilot. US Navy (Nick Brown)
This is the prelude to the formation of The Lost Man. Until 1931 the practice was established enough to be noticed in newspapers, although it looked different from today's "four-finger" form, which was developed during World War II. When Lt. Gen. Oscar Westover was buried at Arlington Cemetery in 1938, there were at least 60 fighters and bombers with an "empty column" on board. When General Hoyt Vandenberg was laid to rest in 1954, the usual artillery barrage was replaced by six overhead B-47 Stratojets with gaps representing the fallen pilot in formation, followed by 16 F-84 Thunderjets and 16 F-86 Sabres.
The use of flight routes to connect with the public by creating a sense of security or the fear that came with funeral tributes. Perhaps the first Air Force hit in the first game of the World Series was in 1918. at Chicago's Comiskey Park, where a packed crowd saw more than 60 planes pass by along with Babe Ruth's shutout. Air travel to sports events became a one-time entertainment, but after 2001. September 11 the demand for display has increased. Due to high demand, a stricter air traffic screening process is now in place.
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Most flights are conducted by aviation units as part of their regular training to maintain currency and skills at no additional cost. However, for several units, the main event is the demonstration flight. Naval aviation gained experience in landing ships, launching torpedoes from the air, and flying long distances, all of which were not in public view. Admiral Chester Nimitz, concerned that naval aviation would become out of favor after World War II, ordered the creation of an Air Demonstration Command to maintain public awareness. The new team, flying F6F Hellcat fighters, first appeared in 1946. August 25 The announcer called them the Blue Angels, the name of a nightclub he had read about.
The name stuck and the show team. The Air Force followed suit in 1953. with the Thunderbirds. Over the years, other teams have emerged to demonstrate the maneuverability of certain airframes, such as the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team.
While the flight routes of COVID-19 were outside of the routes of funeral, sports or equipment display planes, this type of display is far from unprecedented. The
Spaceship crash both ratings flew by. in 1999 Air Force jets flew over the Texas A&M football game to mourn students killed in the fire. After the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado in 1999. the air force honored the student sacrifices with a flight. The Navy honored former Navy SEAL President George H.W. Bush with an unprecedented 21 aircraft that went missing during his funeral in 2018.
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Military aviation is inherently risky and sometimes causes accidents. The Snowbirds formation team from the Royal Canadian Air Force flew past to honor Canada's COVID-19 responders. On a recent flight, the team suffered an accident that injured a pilot, killed a public safety officer and destroyed a house when one of its CT-114 Tutor planes malfunctioned. New Jersey National Guard (Mark Olsen)
At its deepest level, the energy of the air is a sign of security. As D-Day approached, General Dwight D. Eisenhower tried to make the ground troops feel safer by assuring them that they had air cover. It is no coincidence that safety is associated with aircraft. Even during the First World War, flights over soldiers indicated that they were protected. The Air Force pays particular attention to air power, global security and homeland security cooperation, as well as tactical protection of ground forces in combat. With not one, but two shots of the F-86 showing the formation of the missing man, the 1954 A Warner Brothers film.
Spread the word about the release in theaters across the United States. Especially in collaboration with Hollywood, the flight became one of the starkest reminders that Americans were safe at home during the Cold War; from
Flyovers are an American tradition, fitting for the country that created the Wright Brothers. But airplanes have global roots and global flavor. The British also flew on the Western Front during the First World War, and "flying the past" is still a tradition in the British, Canadian and Australian military. During the coronavirus pandemic, Italians were the first to use air travel - in sync with opera - as a morale booster. These screens are not without their own risks. Canadian aviation ended in tragedy last Sunday when one of the famous Snowbird CT-114 Tutor planes crashed in British Columbia, injuring the pilot and killing a public safety officer.
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The Thunderbirds started in 1953, a few years after the Blue Angels. Their first aircraft were single-seat F-84 jets and a two-seat version of the T-33 (shown). US Air Force (lane plumber)
Shutters may be most important because of the fear they inspire. Whether it's a sporting event or an air show, flying is a sign of speed, power and competence. A symbol of a lost man over a battlefield or funeral is a fitting farewell to those who serve in the air. The sense of security that air power represents is a common healing for World War I veterans and medical workers across the United States, even if the situation is different. Air travel is one American tradition that continues even though much has come to a halt during COVID-19.
Major Summers Lowe is Curator of Modern Military History at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, an officer in the District of Columbia Army National Guard, and a foreign fellow at the West Point Institute of Modern Warfare.
