Inspirational Flight
U.S. Navy Blue Angels to fly over Dallas-Fort Worth in tribute to healthcare workers
In a show of national solidarity, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will fly over Dallas-Fort Worth on Wednesday, May 6. The flyover is part of a series of events the squadron has been doing around the United States over the past two weeks, dubbed America Strong, in a salute to honor healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential frontline workers as they combat COVID-19.
The local flyover will start at 11 am in McKinney, going south along Central Expressway/75. The zigzag pattern will then take them roughly over, in order, Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Richardson, Dallas, Duncanville, Grand Prairie, Irving, DFW Airport, Grapevine, Keller, North Richland Hills, Arlington, Fort Worth, Saginaw, Lake Worth, White Settlement, and Benbrook before heading south to Houston and New Orleans. For a complete map of the flyover, click here.
The entire flyover will last a total of 35 minutes, so it's a blink-or-you'll-miss-them kind of event. Spectators are encouraged to watch the flyover from home in order to maintain social distancing practices.
The Blue Angels had been joined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds on some previous flyovers during America Strong, but that squadron will not be part of this flyover. They will, however, participate in the upcoming Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show, taking place October 17-18 at Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
The Blue Angels are based at Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. While the primary goal of America Strong is to show support for areas hard hit by coronavirus, the flights also fulfill critical training requirements the team, as pilots must have a minimum number of flight hours to maintain proficiency.
