The pre-game flyover at a Super Bowl is always a spinetingling moment. It comes at the crescendo of the “Star-Spangled Banner” and signals the end of the pre-game buildup to the NFL season’s finale and that the action is just minutes away.
But this year at Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, the flyover before the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium will be even more special.
For the first time ever, the ceremonial act will be performed by an all-women crew.
The team assembled from the US Navy will commemorate 50 years of women flying in the Navy after the first eight women began flight school in Pensacola, Florida, in 1973.
A year later, six of those eight women – nicknamed “The First Six” – earned their Wings of Gold.
Sunday’s flyover will be comprised of two F/A-18F Super Hornets from the “Flying Eagles” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122, an F-35C Lightning II from the “Argonauts” of VFA-147, and an EA-18G Growler from the “Vikings” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129.
According to the US Navy: “These aircraft represent the strike and electronic attack capability of the ‘Carrier Air Wing of the Future,’ providing advanced technology and enhanced flexibility to our military combatant commanders.”
Lieutenant Katie Martinez, a Naval Flight Officer assigned to VFA-122, said she was struggling to describe the magnitude of the moment.
“It’s not a feeling I can even put into words,” Martinez said. “It doesn’t get bigger than the Super Bowl, and I am humbled and honored to be able to participate with my friends and fellow Naval Aviators as part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
