The Thunderbirds and Blue Angels demonstration teams will honor frontline COVID-19 responders and essential workers with joint formation flyovers at Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Atlanta on Saturday May 2.
Flyovers in Baltimore will start at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) and last approximately 15 minutes.
Flyovers in Washington D.C. and surrounding communities will start at 11:45 a.m. (EDT) and last approximately 20 minutes.
Flyovers in Atlanta will start at 1:35 p.m. (EDT) and last approximately 25 minutes.
The flyovers were part of Operation America Strong which goal is to raise the spirit of US citizen and to honor first responders and healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Residents in these areas will be able to see the flyover from the safety of their home-quarantine and should maintain all social distancing guidelines during this event. They should also refrain from traveling to landmarks, hospitals and gathering in large groups to view the flyover. A detailed flight route will be released on the day prior to the flyover.
Earlier this week on April 28, both demonstration teams flew over New York, Newark, Trenton and Philadelphia making a great impression to all the viewers across these cities.
“America Strong is a way for both teams to show appreciation to the thousands of doctors, nurses, first responders and essential workers out there serving on the frontline day-in and day-out. This is an extraordinary and unprecedented time but we will get through this. We are all in this together.” - said Cmdr. Brian Kesselring, U.S. Navy Blue Angels commanding officer and flight leader for the joint flyover.
“We are honored to fly over these cities in a display of national unity and support for the men and women keeping our communities safe. These flyovers are a gesture of goodwill on behalf of the entire Department of Defense to the heroes of the COIVD-19 pandemic.” - said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. John Caldwell, Thunderbird commander and lead pilot.
