F35A Flyover From HAFB Honors Health Care Workers, First Responders, Veterans
Apr 30, 2020, 10:28 AM | Updated: 3:44 pm
Photo courtesy of the Utah Department of Veterans & Military Affairs
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – To honor those fighting who are fighting on the front lines during the pandemic, the U.S. Air Force took to the skies.
Beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday, the U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Demonstration and the 388th Fighter Wing will conduct a formation flyover across the state of Utah.
The Salute Utah Flyover will be honoring health care workers and first responders who have been working tirelessly during the coronavirus pandemic. It will be led by F-35A Demo Team pilot Cap. Kristin “BEO” Wolfe and will include three combat-ready F-35 pilots from the 388th Fighter Wing.
Wolfe is the first female commander of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter demonstration team.
“I’m tremendously grateful to all Utahns who have taken steps to flatten the curve and slow the spread of coronavirus,” Gov. Gary Herbert said. “The Salute Utah Flyover is an excellent way to pay tribute to those at the front lines combating the outbreak.”
“Like our pilots and crews, our essential workers are our warriors,” he added. “This is a tribute to them and to every Utahn fighting coronavirus.”
The formation is scheduled to take off from Hill Air Force Base at 1 p.m. It will head south over Davis and Salt Lake counties before flying over Provo at approximately 1:15 p.m. The flight will continue southward, where residents in the Fillmore area can see it at approximately 1:35 p.m. The flight will turn around in the St. George area at about 1:55 p.m. before heading back northward. The Panguitch area will see the formation at approximately 2:15 p.m., and then it will fly over the Mt. Pleasant area at about 2:30 p.m. Those in Park City will see the formation at approximately 2:45 p.m., and the Salute Utah Utah Flyover will reach Logan at about 2:55 p.m. before heading back toward Hill Air Force Base.
The jets will specifically be flying over Utah Veterans Homes – the William E. Christoffersen Salt Lake Veterans Home and George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center, the Mervyn Sharp Bennion Central Utah Veterans Home, the Southern Utah Veterans Home and the George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home.
Utah residents are asked to follow the Stay Safe, Stay Home directive while observing the flyover.
