"Flybys" Planned For Several San Diego-Area Hospitals Friday

SAN DIEGO, CA — More than two dozen planes will take to the skies over San Diego County Friday to celebrate health care workers who have been battling to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday morning more than 25 pilots will be flying over 12 hospitals across the county: Palomar Medical Center, Pomerado Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital of San Diego County, Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego VA Medical Center, Scripps Chula Vista, Scripps Encinitas, Scripps Green, Sharp Chula Vista, Sharp Coronado, Sharp Memorial and Sharp Grossmont. The planes will fly in formation carrying banners and will make smoke patterns and perform several stunts.

Several different types of planes will be used, from Cessnas to biplanes, even some World War II-era military planes.

The event was organized by pilot Phil Kendro, whose wife works as a nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital.

All of the flights will take place between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sharp Healthcare has released a schedule of the"flyby"at their hospitals:

• Sharp Memorial Hospital: 10:15 - 10:30 a.m.
• Sharp Coronado Hospital: 10:25 - 10:40 a.m.
• Sharp Chula Vista Hospital: 10:30 - 10:40 a.m.
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital: 10:30 - 10:45 a.m.

The flyovers are just the latest in a series of morale-boosting events Sharp Healthcare has organized for their employees battling the virus: earlier in the week they had several public safety agencies visit their hospitals to pay their respects to hospital doctors, nurses and other health care workers.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Charles Woodman contributed to this report.