PHOENIX — Is it even a major sporting event anymore if there isn't a flyover?
Monday's World Series game featured a pre-game flyover by four F-35 fighters from Luke Air Force Base's 310th Fighter Squadron.
Here's the deets:
What is the F-35A Lightning II, anyway?
That's the Air Force's version of the Joint Strike Fighter or "fifth-generation fighter." The F-35 is built by Lockheed Martin with stealth technology to make it hard to see on radar and has a suite of different sensors that provide pilots with more information than ever about the airspace and tactical situation they're flying in.
The advanced electronics include a $400,000 helmet that incorporates all the information inputs and puts them in front of the pilot's eyes. It also is able, using cameras, to help the pilot "see" through the bottom of the aircraft to what is directly below them.
What does the "A" stand for? And why is it called the "Lightning II"?
The "A" means it's the version the Air Force uses. In order to save money, the F-35 program has three common airframes that are then adopted for us by the Marines and Navy. The Marine version is able to take off and land vertically. The Navy version has a larger wing to generate more lift for the plane as it takes off from an aircraft carrier.
The name "Lightning II" is derived from a previous Lockheed product, the P-38 Lightning, which shot down more enemy planes in World War II than any other model.
Also, no one uses that name. It's more commonly referred to as the "Panther" by the pilots who fly it.
How does a flyover work?
The flyover is all about math and communication. The planes will take off from Luke Air Force Base and, if past flyovers are any guide, will circle in an area northwest of the base known as the Gladden 1 Military Operating Area. If they need to refuel, aerial tankers from the Arizona Air National Guard's 161st Air Refueling Wing will do the job before the planes set up for the flyover.
An F-35 pilot, or pilots, will be in the stadium talking to the flyover planes about timing. In a perfect world, the planes cross the far edge of the stadium just as the National Anthem ends. It's really a math equation: How long will it take the planes flying X speed to make it Y miles at the right time?
Who will be in the cockpits?
The pilots will be from the 310th Fighter Squadron, based at Luke. Nicknamed the "Top Hats," the squadron has been based at Luke since 1969. Its lineage goes back to 1942 and 310th planes flew in the Pacific during World War II. On an obscure historical note, one of the Mexican Air Force's contribution to the Allied effort in World War II was the 201st Fighter Squadron, which originally flew 310th planes.
In more modern times, the 310th flew and trained pilots in the F-16 Viper.
