Meet the pilots executing the rare Navy-Air Force Super Bowl flyover

For Air Drive B-1 Lancer bomber pilot Topoff, flying over the Tremendous Bowl as the ultimate notes of “The Star-Spangled Banner” linger within the air isn’t only a beautiful flourish for the sport; it’s additionally a manner of highlighting the precision that bomber pilots practice for.

“An enormous a part of what we do within the bomber drive is ensuring we present up someplace precisely on time,” stated Topoff, a captain who requested to be recognized solely by his name signal for operational safety causes.

“And also you take a look at a few of the operations that happen internationally — timing and flying from the U.S. to someplace is a extremely huge a part of ensuring every part occurs.”

The flyover, a uncommon joint Navy-Air Drive show for the Tremendous Bowl, is ready to incorporate eight plane whole: two B-1s from Ellsworth Air Drive Base, South Dakota; two Air Drive F-15C Eagles from Fresno Air Nationwide Guard Base, California; and a pair every of Navy F/A-18 Tremendous Hornets and F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, all from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.

The plane will all take off from Moffett Federal Airfield, lower than 10 miles away from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the place the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks are set to face off on Sunday.

“We’ll arrange in an orbit about 10 to fifteen miles south of the sphere,” Topoff stated. “We all know the time for when the Nationwide Anthem begins, and the way we’ll be capable of alter [the flyover] based mostly on the tempo that we truly see the Nationwide anthem going.

“We’ve got laptop software program within the jet that permits us to see, to the second, what our time over some extent might be. So, we’ll handle our air velocity, our well timed flip in and every part to get proper excessive of the sphere precisely on time.”

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Grier, who will pilot one of many F/A-18s within the flyover, stated having two providers concerned within the demonstration made preparation important.

“We fly close-formation very steadily, however we don’t all the time do it with the Air Drive,” he instructed Army Instances forward of a mission rehearsal flight on Friday. “We need to be sure every part goes flawlessly. … We’ve already gone by way of the transient advert nauseam, line after line. Everyone sort of is aware of their position, and as we speak we’re going to place it into apply.”

In response to Navy floor coordinator Lt. Cmdr. Dewayne Hooper, VFA-2 — the Navy’s F/A-18 fighter squadron also referred to as “The Bounty Hunters” — bought tasked with the Tremendous Bowl mission shortly after getting back from a service strike group deployment to the Pacific final fall.

“All by way of the Christmas holidays, we’re getting timelines down,” Hooper stated. “It’s fairly humorous how shortly you go from getting used to life on the boat … to getting again house and again within the swing of issues right here. It simply actually highlights how versatile we’re as a unit, having the ability to sort of go from the expectations that we now have on deployment to the expectations that we now have again right here at house.”

Whereas Topoff, a Cardinals fan, doesn’t have a rooting curiosity on this yr’s Tremendous Bowl, getting chosen to take part within the nation’s greatest sporting occasion continues to be a thrill.

“We’re very skilled within the army, however the honor of the Tremendous Bowl is just not misplaced on us,” he stated. “It places slightly bit extra stress on what we do. Particularly as bomber individuals, a giant a part of what we do is lengthy vary strikes, displaying up someplace … proper place, proper time. … The added stress that comes from being on a nationwide stage helps us practice with slightly bit much less artificiality and slightly extra genuine stress.”

Grier will deliver with him within the cockpit a number of American flags given to him by Navy retirees to fly over the Tremendous Bowl. He stated he’s additionally enthusiastic about holding the distinctive Tremendous Bowl uniform patch as a memento. Then there’s the fun of having the ability to attend the large recreation — a primary for each Grier and Hooper.

Following the flyover, “It’ll be a dash again right here to hop in a van to get to the sport, to get to go watch some good soccer,” Hooper stated. “And all people, the maintainers, the help crew, all of the air crew that take part within the flyover will get acknowledged at first of the third quarter.”

On the Navy facet, one of many Tremendous Hornet pilots, Lt. Dalton Stewart, is a Patriots fan who will be capable of root for his group and see the stadium from the sky. For Grier, who roots for the Baltimore Ravens, getting picked for the flyover was nonetheless thrilling.

“I used to be ecstatic,” he stated. “I grew up a big-time soccer fan. Simply having the chance to play a small position on this has been actually thrilling.

“Plenty of delight for my neighborhood as properly, from the place I grew up. And listening to [from] individuals again house once they heard I used to be doing the flyover, it simply sort of brings a smile to my face. I’ve simply been so proud to only be part of it.”