Blue Angels Salute In Tampa Bay Canceled

Editor's Note: The Blue Angels announced they have canceled their Tampa Bay flyover. No reason was given for the cancellation.

TAMPA, FL — In a show of national solidarity during the coronavirus crisis, the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds precision air squadrons will conduct a series of multi-city flyovers over the next two weeks including one in the skies above Tampa Bay on Saturday.

The exact time and location for the Tampa Bay flyover has not been announced. The information will be shared on the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Twitter accounts 48 hours before the flyover.

President Donald Trump announced the "America Strong" flyover tour at a news conference April 22.

"What we are doing is paying tribute to our front-line health care workers confronting COVID, and it's really a signal to all Americans to remain vigilant during the outbreak," Trump said.

This is the first time the two fighter jet demonstration teams have collaborated since 2017.

The two demonstration teams will fly over areas of the country hardest hit by the coronavirus, with both joint and individual team flights occurring every one or two days until mid-May.

The two teams will begin the tour with joint flyovers Tuesday at noon over Newark, New Jersey, and New York City. Then, at 1:45 p.m., the teams will jet off to Trenton, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. The flyovers are expected to last 30 to 40 minutes.

To reach the maximum number of Americans, some portions of America Strong will feature the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds alone, while others will include both teams flying in their signature delta formations simultaneously.

Joint flyovers are expected for Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; New York City, Newark; Trenton; Philadelphia; Atlanta; Dallas; Houston; and Austin.

Then the teams will separate.

The Blue Angels will fly over Miami, Tampa, Tallahassee and Jacksonville; Norfolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia; Detroit; Chicago; Indianapolis; Nashville; New Orleans; and Kingsville and Corpus Christi, Texas.

Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds will fly over San Antonio, Texas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Phoenix; San Diego; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle.

“We’re excited to fly over cities across America as our way of saying thanks to the health care workers, first responders and all the people who selflessly run into the breach working to keep America strong,” said Gen. Dave Goldfein, chief of staff of the Air Force."

“This is also our way of showing that we are all in this together and that America’s spirit will prevail," said Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of Naval Operations.

The Air Force and Navy have partnered with local governments to help ensure spectators follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social distancing guidelines.

Both teams are also implementing various measures to maintain personnel and community safety. This includes air-to-air refueling during transit and no scheduled stops en route to reduce potential exposure to the virus.

The Blue Angels, based at Naval Air Station Pensacola, and the Thunderbirds, based at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, typically fly at more than 30 air shows each year to demonstrate American military aviation. This year, both teams have had to cancel many of their demonstrations due to the coronavirus crisis.

While America Strong is intended to support health care workers, first responders, military and essential employees and raise the morale of Americans in the fight against the coronavirus, it also fulfills critical training requirements for both teams. Pilots must execute a minimum number of flight hours to maintain proficiency. These flyovers will incur no additional cost to taxpayers.