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Pilots from NAS Lemoore will be at the controls of two of the featured military aircraft, including an F/A 18 Super Hornet and an F-35 joint strike fighter.
History-Making Flyover
This will be the first time in Super Bowl history that the two military branches have combined forces for this popular pre-game tradition.
“Incredible aircraft,” said Cmdr. Chad Heirigs of Lemoore-based Strike Fighter Squadron VFA 151 (“Vigilantes”). “More incredible are the people that maintain them.”
Pilots Featured on Super Bowl Live Webcast
His colleague, Cmdr. Desobry Bowens from NAS Lemoore’s VFA-41 (“Black Aces”) will pilot the flyover formation’s Super Hornet on Sunday.
“This is a subset of what we already do,” said Bowens. “To be on time, on target, first pass is our goal when we’re in combat operations. So we leverage that skill, those briefings, those techniques — and we apply them.”
“As professional aviators, we are proud to execute [this tradition],” added Cmdr. Dan Kitts of NAS Lemoore’s VFA 147 squadron (“Argonauts”). Kitts will fly one of two F-35C Lightning II stealth fighters in the flyover formation.
Despite being stationed on the West Coast, not all of the Lemoore pilots will be rooting for their home-state team.
“I grew up in Kansas City,” Cmdr. Heirigs said. “Being that we’re [based] in California, there’s a lot of young kids who are 49ers contingents. It’s OK, we’ll look past that!”
Video: Ride Along with the Flyover Formation.
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By Frances Wang | 31 Jan 2020
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