SUPER BOWL FLYOVER! A primer to annoy your friends w/ useless facts while watching the game! To start, flyovers don’t “cost extra”. I laid it out yesterday, but costs are already baked into the “Flying Hour Program”. The jets must fly, football or not. Flyovers look a lot like normal training. Crews do “Low Level” routes routinely, w/ simulated enemy defenses that must be avoided (that 7-11 is a SAM site!) & a target that must be hit at a precise time (“Time on Target”). Published low level routes are usually located around bases & depicted on charts (maps). Some feature is used as a target…maybe an abandoned factory, or a distant bridge. Today, the “target” is the Super Bowl. Timing is critical. The route is carefully planned; special charts are prepared showing entry point, ingress to target & egress. There may be a bunch of turns, or it can be straight. Either way, multiple points along the ground are used as references. Say, a bridge over a creek. On the chart, each point is annotated w/ a “Doghouse”…a rectangle divided into sections. At the top is a triangle pointing in the direction of flight. Vital information is entered in the doghouse, like compass heading to fly, how much fuel you should have & – most importantly – the time you should pass. If you’re off timing, it’s a chance to change speed & get back on time. More points are better in this regard! A big part of the flyover will be assembling the formation. They don’t take off like that (well, fighters often take off in pairs), but there are plenty of areas nearby where airspace can be reserved for a “Rejoin”. They’ll launch, but not from the same places (the B-1 is out of South Dakota, the rest at two local bases), rendezvous in designated airspace & form up. They’ll hold until it’s time to leave & start the ingress. A tanker may be there to keep them fueled up in case the event is delayed. Eventually, it’s a “go” & they’ll head out, descending into the route. Timing to the entry point is crucial…don’t be late before you even get onto the low level! The formation can do this all silently. The flight lead (the B-1) is in charge of everything & does all ATC communications; everyone else just holds position & listens. If lead speeds up, so do you. You back lead up using your chart, but they make the call. There are various hand signals used to relay information if needed. Today, they may use the radio, but not if it was real! Ordinarily, low level routes are out of the way of the public, but this will go right through the Bay Area. Is that a big inconvenience? Not really. At all big sports event, a “Temporary Flight Restriction” (TFR) is placed over the airspace by the FAA. This blocks all aircraft, other than specially authorized ones, from getting close to the stadium. The FAA publishes a “NOtice To AirMen” (NOTAM), which pilots must consult before every flight. On our iPads, chart apps depict the TFR graphically, often as a big red circle around the stadium. Today, it’s a ring extending 30nm from the stadium, surface to 18k’. Don’t go in unless you like armed fighters intercepting you! Today’s flyover will pass through busy airspace; San Francisco, Oakland & San Jose are all big airports there. Will it interrupt operations? Yes, but only briefly. ATC works w/ the flyover, giving them airspace they need, clearing any other aircraft. It can work multiple ways, but it’s like an ALTitude ReserVation (ALTRV), a moving box of airspace in the vertical & horizontal. It centers on the formation & other aircraft aren’t allowed near; tankers use it for air refueling sometimes. Some arriving airlines might need to do a turn in holding to avoid interacting w/ the formation, while departing jets might have to wait an extra few minutes. Special approach & departure procedures may be used. Still, by 10-15 minutes after, disruptions have been ironed out. Hope that helps, I’m out of space. The flyover is GREAT training for these crews…let’s see how they do! Enjoy!