Blue Angels and Thunderbirds honor coronavirus responders with flyovers

The Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds honored health-care workers and others on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus with flyovers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Tuesday.

“We are truly excited to take to the skies with our Navy counterparts for a nationwide tribute to the men and women keeping our communities safe.” Air Force Lt. Col. John Caldwell, the Thunderbirds’ flight leader and the mission commander for the flyover, said in a statement.
The events began at noon in Newark, New Jersey, and New York City and lasted about 35 minutes.
The formation will consist of 12 fighter jets — six of the Blue Angels’ F-18C/D Hornets and six of the Thunderbirds’ F-16C/D Fighting Falcons.
The demonstration squadrons headed to Trenton, New Jersey, for a 10-minute show. The final stop was in Philadelphia at 2 p.m.

Post by USNavyBlueAngels.

The Cost
The Washington Post reported, citing senior government officials and a memo, that the military planned the tour to “champion national unity.” The Post also reported that while the cost of the initiative could be $60,000 an hour, the money is already in the Pentagon’s budget. In a statement, the Air Force said taxpayers will incur “no additional cost” due to the flyover, which fulfills training requirements for both teams to maintain proficiency.