The U.S. Air Force shared a few more details about how it plans to perform a historic triple-bomber flyover at Super Bowl LV in Florida.
The three bombers will converge and pass over Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay during the final notes of the “Star-Spangled Banner,” according to the Air Force Times in a piece published Thursday.
The flyover will feature a B-1B Lancer from Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota; a B-2 Spirit from Whiteman AFB, Missouri; and a B-52 Stratofortress from Minot AFB, North Dakota. (RELATED: The CDC Wants People Attending Super Bowl Parties To Limit How Many Beers They Drink)
Here’s how the Air Force will pull off a triple-bomber Super Bowl flyover https://t.co/sVK44hi7iu pic.twitter.com/htGfMjL6ix
— Air Force Times (@AirForceTimes) February 4, 2021
Each bomber will take off for the super bowl from their home bases, then join up for the flyover before returning to their bases. The patriotic display will demonstrate “the flexibility of AFGSC’s bombers and their ability to deploy anywhere in the world from the continental United States,” Gen. Tim Ray, AFGSC commander shared with the outlet.
Captain Sarah Kociuba will be the “Super Bowl flyover flight lead” in her B-2 Spirit and talked about how much practice has gone into making it a reality, Fox 13 News reported.
“We’ve been working for weeks making this plan very precise, so that we can execute it,” Kociuba shared. “So we’ll all brief together, and plan together, and make this rejoin happen.”
“We will rejoin very low altitude, very high speed and very close together in this whiskey area [restricted air space], and then we’ll work our timing, and then do the flyover,” she added.
Each of the plane’s computers will help the pilots nail the timing, Maj. Anthony Mascaro shared for the report. He said the computers will measure the “airspeed and wind speed, and calculate whether the pilots need to speed up or slow down” in order to be on time.
B-1 + B-2 + B-52 = Super Bowl 55 Flyover!
The @Chiefs and @Buccaneers punched in their tickets to #SuperBowlLV last night. The U.S. Air Force will be there too! Three different @AFGlobalStrike bombers will conduct a flyover, Feb. 7.
https://t.co/EYNtgxaZAA@NFL #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/nKVUvUa64W
— U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) January 25, 2021
“It’s gonna be loud,” Major Patrick Burke, a B1 Pilot told Bay News 9.com. “What they’re going to see – they’re going to see strategic power in the air.”
“The U.S. Air Force is of our NATO allies is the only one with a strategic bomber fleet that can reach worldwide so they’re going to see that and hopefully they get that feel in the bottom of their chest of patriotism and just the proud feeling we have as Americans,” Burke added.