Blue Angels and Thunderbirds honor coronavirus responders with flyovers

<p>The Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds honored health-care workers and others on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus with flyovers in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Tuesday.</p><p> “We are truly excited to take to the skies with our Navy counterparts for a nationwide tribute to the men and women keeping our communities safe.” Air Force Lt. Col. John Caldwell, the Thunderbirds’ flight leader and the mission commander for the flyover, said in a statement.</p><p>The events began at noon in Newark, New Jersey, and New York City and lasted about 35 minutes.</p><p>The formation will consist of 12 fighter jets — six of the Blue Angels’ F-18C/D Hornets and six of the Thunderbirds’ F-16C/D Fighting Falcons.</p><p>The demonstration squadrons headed to Trenton, New Jersey, for a 10-minute show. The final stop was in Philadelphia at 2 p.m.</p><p>Post by USNavyBlueAngels.</p><p> The Cost</p><p>The Washington Post reported, citing senior government officials and a memo, that the military planned the tour to “champion national unity.” The Post also reported that while the cost of the initiative could be $60,000 an hour, the money is already in the Pentagon’s budget. In a statement, the Air Force said taxpayers will incur “no additional cost” due to the flyover, which fulfills training requirements for both teams to maintain proficiency.</p>