Super Bowl week typically brings with it Temporary Flight Restrictions; this year a military flyover offers the aviation highlight.
Formation will feature two F/A-18 Hornet pilots from VFC-12 Ambush stationed at NAS Oceana who both hail from schools competing this week in the Military Bowl competition.
F/A-18 Hornets
The F/A-18 Hornet is an advanced multi-role fighter/attack aircraft designed for various roles – flying, shooting and refueling in both air and ground environments. First entering service more than four decades ago, this jet boasts extraordinary capabilities such as reconnaissance, air defense suppression, in-flight refueling and close air support.
Navy Blue Angels’ flight demonstration squadron utilizes F/A-18E/F Hornet aircraft for shows around the country and world. Blue Angel pilots typically accrue 1,400 flying hours prior to being certified as Blue Angel pilots and piloting these iconic blue, white, red, and silver planes of their squadron.
The Blue Angels will be joined on stage by two F/A-18F Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron 122’s Flying Eagles and one EA-18G Growler from Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ129, representing both strike and electronic attack capabilities of Carrier Air Wing of Tomorrow.
EA-18G Growlers
Airmen from squadrons preparing for this year’s flyover practiced their formation at Arizona Luke Air Force Base, meeting up with fellow pilots involved. Moreno and Zimmerman students at the base had the chance to witness these aviation veterans at work first-hand.
The EA-18G Growler is a highly specialized aircraft designed to add electronic warfare (EW) capabilities to the F/A-18F Super Hornet platform. While its EW capabilities allow it to disrupt enemy radar systems, its main mission is providing standoff jamming and decoy support for other tactical fast jets such as the Navy’s new F-35A Lightning II aircraft.
Owing to China’s increasing sophistication of military technology, some service members may have called for divesting of the Growler, but according to Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Bryan Clark these concerns are misplaced. He states that even though its performance does not compare with that of Air Force’s EF-111 Raven or Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler aircraft, its expeditionary EW squadrons remain vital components of naval fleet.
F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the fifth-generation jet of choice for the United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps; as well as eight NATO countries and five non-NATO partners. Designed with stealth technology and integrated systems integration to give it significant kinetic advantages for decades ahead, but unfortunately its program has run into significant hurdles, including increasing costs.
Naval Air Station Oceana will host two F/A-18 Hornet pilots who graduated from rival schools; Adam Stephens attended Tulane while Elliott Shoup hails from Virginia Tech. These two aircraft will fly over Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium prior to the Military Bowl.
Planes will assemble approximately 100 miles offshore prior to the flyover. A liaison on the ground will notify them when each event (such as presentation of colors, H.E.R’s rendition of the national anthem and kickoff) commences and ends so they can adjust their flight path accordingly.
B-52H Stratofortress
The B-52H Stratofortress, popularly referred to by its nickname of BUFF (big ugly fat fellow), is the United States Air Force’s long-range multirole bomber with large payload capacity and unparalleled precision navigation capability. Capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional ordnance, its worldwide precision navigation capability gives this aircraft its global advantage when carrying nuclear ordnance loads.
Air Force officials anticipate keeping it flying until 2050 due to its superior subsonic performance and relatively low operating costs, even as more advanced strategic weapons systems such as Convair B-58 Hustler or North American XB-70 Valkyrie come online.
VFC-12 pilots stationed at NAS Oceana who will pilot planes during Wednesday’s Military Bowl flyover are both graduates from one of the competing schools: Tulane’s Commanding Officer Adam Stephens is an alum while Virginia Tech graduate Elliott Shoup hails from his alma mater, and both pilots have experience conducting flyovers at football games attended by Tulane University as well as last year’s American Athletic Conference championship held at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
