Inside the Super Bowl LVI Flyover
Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation pilot Steve Hinton reveals secrets of the flyover’s split-second timing and tight formation.
By Thom Patterson - February 11, 2022
During the final notes of the national anthem at Sunday’s Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, most fans will be thinking about the
matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams. Others will be looking up, scanning the sky for the flyover.
The pre-game flyover is a Super Bowl ritual more than half a century old.
Although it only lasts a few seconds, for many pilots and aviation enthusiasts,
it’s one of the most thrilling moments of the game. Previous flyovers at the
NFL championship game have included the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, U.S.
Army helicopters, and even three different types of bombers.
In honor of this year’s 75th anniversary of the U.S. Air Force, the NFL has
enlisted the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation (AFHFF) to perform this
brief—but thrilling—annual event.
The flight includes five historic and important U.S. military fighters and attack aircraft:
P-51D Mustang, based at the AFHFF in Chino, California
A-10 Thunderbolt II—aka “Warthog”—based at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
F-22 Raptor, based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
F-35 Lightning II, based at Hill AFB, Utah
F-16 Fighting Falcon, aka “Viper,” based at Shaw AFB, South Carolina
More:
https://www.flyingmag.com/inside-the-super-bowl-lvi-flyover/