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Statewide flyovers conducted to thank health care workers

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 20, 2020

By Staff report Homer News

Two F-22 Raptors fly over Beluga Lake on Friday, May 15, 2020 as part of a statewide flyover event put on by the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. Four of the aircraft flew over Homer, Alaska and other parts of the state as a way to show support for health care workers and other COVID-19 front line workers. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
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Two F-22 Raptors fly over Beluga Lake on Friday, May 15, 2020 as part of a statewide flyover event put on by the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. Four of the aircraft flew over Homer, Alaska and other parts of the state as a way to show support for health care workers and other COVID-19 front line workers. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Two F-22 Raptors fly over Beluga Lake on Friday, May 15, 2020 as part of a statewide flyover event put on by the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. Four of the aircraft flew over Homer, Alaska and other parts of the state as a way to show support for health care workers and other COVID-19 front line workers. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)
Two of four F-22 Raptors from the U.S. Air Force 3rd wing, Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, fly over downtown Homer, Alaska on Friday, May 15, 2020, as part of an exercise to honor Alaska first responders and health care workers. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Health care workers hold up signs spelling out “thank you” while four F-22 Raptors fly over Homer at South Peninsula Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Lisa Talbott)

In a show of support for health care workers and others on the front lines of the novel coronavirus pandemic, myriad aircraft from the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard units in Alaska flew over the state last week.

Organized by Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, the flyovers were part of an approved training mission and were part of an initiative to show appreciation for health care workers and other first responders, according to a release from JBER posted on its Facebook page.

The initiative, called Air Force Salutes, aimed to “lift morale in communities across America,” according to the release.

The flyovers in Alaska took place on May 12, 13 and 15. Homer residents were able to see two pairs of the F-22 Raptor fly over town on Friday afternoon. The craft zoomed in from Seward, crossed over Beluga Lake, and flew over the center of town and the west side of Homer before continuing on to Soldotna.

Other aircraft that participated in the statewide flyover were the C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, HC-130J Combat King II, and HH-60 Pave Hawk.

JBER conducted the flyovers on the Kenai Peninsula, in Anchorage and the Mananuska-Susitna Valley, and in Eagle River, Girdwood, Whittier, Valdez, Cordova, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Bethel, Nome, and Kotzebue.

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