A Super Bowl flyover that sent three Air Force bombers streaking over Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday may have lasted only a few seconds, but it took several months to plan and execute.
Planning for the “bomber trifecta” — the first in a major sporting event featuring the B-52 Stratofortress, the B-1B Lancer and the B-2 Spirit — began in March 2020. The Air Force’s Global Strike Command has been pitching it to the Pentagon for at least four years, officials said.
“This year it worked out for us to do it,” said Katie Spencer, Sports Outreach Program manager and aerial coordinator for the secretary of the Air Force‘s public affairs office.
The next step was getting approval from Gen. Timothy Ray, commander of the Air Force Global Strike Command. After he signed on the line, officials began coordinating with bomber units to see who could support the mission. They had to make sure none of the units under consideration had operational assignments that would conflict with the Super Bowl.
Coordinating the flyover took some effort because the bombers were coming from three different bases, said Lt. Col. Chris McAlear with Air Combat Command. He was the ground control who communicated with the aircraft during the flyover.
“Normally, you’re working with one unit who is used to doing these types of flyovers so it was a new dynamic for us,” Lt. Col. McAlear said. “Once we got the final aircrews selected and got the times from the NFL on when the national anthem would end, I put together a detailed event briefing for the three flying crews.”
The aircrews were given maps of the stadium area, the location where the bombers would join up prior to the flyover, and information such as the altitude for the mission and how long they would spend over the stadium.
“It’s basically everything the aircrews would need to know to get safely in and out of the flyover area,” Lt. Col. McAlear said.
In addition to the refueling aircraft that had to be made available for the bombers, each Air Force Wing that was supporting the flyover had to provide a backup just in case of mechanical issues, officials said.
“There were literally hundreds of airmen involved in supporting this event from throughout the command,” said Maj. Kendall Smith with Global Strike Command.
Because it was such a high-profile event, the aircrews were taught how to deal with the media before the Super Bowl.
“This flyover is also a testament to the hundreds of airmen and civilians behind the scenes who worked months and long hours to make it happen,” said Jennifer Bentley, chief of policy and public outreach with the secretary of the Air Force‘s public affairs office.