Sidebar

Question: Why do we not have Military Flyovers?

S

squib

1st Team
Sep 24, 2005
564
444
87
I used to go to a couple of Air Force Academy games per year. The flyovers they do there in Colorado Springs are insane. Was always super cool. And I assume the pilots ended up in trouble every week.
 
AlBamaWagg

AlBamaWagg

1st Team
Jan 3, 2007
435
90
52
Mt Juliet, Tn
Not at a football game, but one year in Charlotte at the Coca Cola 600, they had a B52 do a slow, lumbering flyover during the National Anthem. It was blowing black smoke and your could count rivets and read lettering. Everyone did a wow(and ducked) and relaxed. After time for the crew to turn that big monster around out of sight and build up speed, it ripped over the track on a surprise return. Scared the bejeebers out of everyone. I'm sure there were a lot of damp undergarments. Awesome. Bristol often does a two way flyover.
 
78Alum

78Alum

All-American
Aug 1, 2007
2,677
725
162
67
Alabaster, AL
Most every year as best I can remember there is at least one flyover. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see one at one of our home games this year.
 
Tidewater

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,477
13,323
287
Hooterville, Vir.
RT27 said:
Great question, why do we? I see no real reason at all, but, what the heck do I know. May be some reason way back that started this fly over thing, not sure when or why it got started. Anyone know its origin?
Click to expand...
I'm sure it started as a recruiting ploy. "Join the Air Force. Look at this cool stuff."
They are expensive, however, and doing a fly-by is not exactly greta training for the crews (unless we plan on declaring war on football fans & teams).
 
rgw

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
I mean it is really no different than these professional sport national anthem displays with football field sized flags and such that the DoD pays for...it all comes down to crootin'
 
Last edited:
rolltide_21

rolltide_21

Hall of Fame
Dec 9, 2007
11,483
7,568
187
NW AL
tattooguy21 said:
If I didn't know better I'd say the same thing. But I do, so allow me to help you understand the value and how it literally changes nothing regarding your tax dollars.

1) The guys flying this are going to have to plan the route for travel from base, timing so that they appear over the stadium at the key moment, and fuel. All of that is directly related to the training conducted for any "time on target" missions aka being at an exact point in space at an exact time, usually plus or minus 30 seconds. Think it's easy, drive to your local store and arrive at an exact minute and second that you planned. Tell me how it works out.

2) Your tax payer money (ours too cause don't forget, the military is paying taxes as well). That money for flying was allocated a year ago. Now it's up to the unit on how to spend it. Let the guys go fly the pattern? Straight and level at 3000 feet, or maybe coordinate with entry and exit of several different airspace, coordinate with the FAA to create a ROZ, etc. Again, valuable training being used for something that is already paid for. They will fly that time either way, it just depends on how it's utilized.

3) Recruiting. The military (namely Air force and army) are at record lows regarding military pilots and losing the battle of attrition to the commercial aviation side. If you don't think that all it takes is a good memory of a football game and a flyover to be enough to motivate a kid to chase the dream of becoming a combat pilot then you're a silly goose.

And finally, it looks cool. Yup. It looks really cool.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thank you for this breakdown. There is a lot going into this that I did not realize.
 
selmaborntidefan

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,736
287
54
Alasippi said:
I love the flyovers and America, but this subject belongs on the football board why?
Click to expand...
Well, because......follow me REAL closely here......the subject of the flyover concerns flyovers at......wait for it...FOOTBALL games.....


get it?


:)
 
selmaborntidefan

selmaborntidefan

TideFans Legend
Mar 31, 2000
36,432
29,736
287
54
Alasippi said:
selmaborntidefan said:
Well, because......follow me REAL closely here......the subject of the flyover concerns flyovers at......wait for it...FOOTBALL games.....

Gotcha...so if we have a thread..."Why do we know longer play Dixie before the opening kickoff", that would be a football thread topic, right? Follow me REAL closely here!
Click to expand...


Serious question - did Alabama ever play Dixie before kickoff? I know OM did.
Click to expand...
 
A

Alasippi

Suspended
Aug 31, 2007
12,875
2
57
Ocean Springs, MS
selmaborntidefan said:
Alasippi said:
When I was a student in the 70's, the Bama Band played "Dixie", at some point, most every game. We, as students, thought absolutely nothing of it. There was no black nor white. I actually was a good friend of Tony Nathan, and T.R., and Mule, and Leon.
Dixie was simply a melody and an instrumental that could fire you up through the roof.
A great melody. Nothing more. We were "kids".
But yes, it was played....
And what it has to do with us preparing for Arkansas I have no idea, and thus the reason I asked the original question...

It should be in Non-Sports....just my opinion...which isn't worth two cents
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
R

RedWave

All-SEC
Sep 26, 2000
1,579
3
0
Arlington, Tx
Alasippi said:
selmaborntidefan said:
Alasippi said:
When I was a student in the 70's, the Bama Band played "Dixie", at some point, most every game. We, as students, thought absolutely nothing of it. There was no black nor white. I actually was a good friend of Tony Nathan, and T.R., and Mule, and Leon.
Dixie was simply a melody and an instrumental that could fire you up through the roof.
A great melody. Nothing more. We were "kids".
But yes, it was played....
And what it has to do with us preparing for Arkansas I have no idea, and thus the reason I asked the original question...

It should be in Non-Sports....just my opinion...which isn't worth two cents
Click to expand...
It used to be Troy State's fight song. But that was replaced. But Troy still gives a nod to Dixie in their opening Fanfare.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Tug Tide

Tug Tide

All-American
Aug 27, 2006
3,731
5,147
187
Redneck Riviera, Panama City Beach, FL
nickel42

nickel42

1st Team
Dec 2, 2013
514
0
0
Nashville, TN
Tidewater said:
I'm sure it started as a recruiting ploy. "Join the Air Force. Look at this cool stuff."

doing a fly-by is not exactly greta training for the crews (unless we plan on declaring war on football fans & teams).
Click to expand...
That's not true at all. It's a great training opportunity - if nothing else it allows the crews to work on timing. Most operations require a specific "time on target" and likewise flyovers usually shoot for a specific time (end of the anthem). That requires coordination with ground crew as well.

Aside from that, the pilots have to build hours somehow. Why not have fun with it and make some folks smile?
 
Tidewater

Tidewater

Hall of Fame
Mar 15, 2003
22,477
13,323
287
Hooterville, Vir.
nickel42 said:
That's not true at all. It's a great training opportunity - if nothing else it allows the crews to work on timing. Most operations require a specific "time on target" and likewise flyovers usually shoot for a specific time (end of the anthem). That requires coordination with ground crew as well.

Aside from that, the pilots have to build hours somehow. Why not have fun with it and make some folks smile?
Click to expand...
Well, there is a dollar cost attached, for starters.
A-10 Warthog: $17,716/hour
F-15C Eagle Fighter: $41,921/hour
F-22A Raptor Fighter: $68,362/hour
B-52 BUF: $69,708/hour
B-2A Spirit: $169,313/hour

I get the "time on target" aspect, but let's just say the mission profile is not the most challenging. Do it at night in a blacked-out country and ring the stadium with SAMs and AAA, and then it would be better training. Calling flying stadiums "training" is like Bama scrimmaging against a Pop Warner team and calling that a good work out.
I'm not saying don't ever do them. If honest research shows that they help recruiting compared to TV ads, or financial recruiting incentives, then fine. Just realize that there is a dollar cost attached.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Posts

Latest threads

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a> <br /> <!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \--> <p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.

Top Bottom