INGLEWOOD, Calif. - To help celebrate the Air Force’s 75th anniversary, Airpower fans can catch a behind-the-scenes look at a first-of-its-kind flyover as the service’s Heritage Flight prepares to soar above the skies of So-Fi Stadium during the national anthem performance at Super Bowl LVI, Feb. 13.
Beginning at 6 p.m. ET on the U.S. Air Force Facebook page, Dan Hawkins and Master Sgt. Caitlin Jones Martin will host the special pre-game show, featuring live look-ins from California, including the actual flyover, interviews and more.
One of the interviews is with Chad Hennings, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate who went on to fly the A-10 Thunderbolt in combat before spending nine seasons in the National Football League, winning three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Air Force Heritage Flight represents the service’s ability to innovate, accelerate and thrive since its evolution from the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1947.
The Heritage Flight flyover will feature:
- P-51 Mustang from the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation, Chino, California
- A-10 Thunderbolt from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
- F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw AFB, South Carolina
- F-22 Raptor from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
- F-35 Lightning from Hill AFB, Utah
The U.S. Air Force performs close to 1,000 flyovers a year, which serve as a way to showcase the capabilities of its aircraft while also inspiring patriotism and future generations of aviation enthusiasts. These flyovers are done at no additional cost to the taxpayer and serve as time-over-target training for Air Force pilots, aircrew and ground control teams.