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During the telecast of yesterday's Rose Bowl I noticed the Stealth Bombers flying over the stadium and I wondered - why do we see this at major sporting events and when did this tradition begin ?
What exactly is the rationale behind this and do other countries also have their Military fly aircraft above the stadium before the start of a big game ?
And I should add that I am a big fan of the Thunderbirds and have enjoyed seeing them at Hanscom AFB; so this is not a criticism of the military.
Last edited by Bo; 01-03-2009 at 12:23 PM..
Reason: Moved from General US, since the answer has more to do with military marketing than US geography.
In a word: marketing... the same reason the military conducts air shows for the public. The sight of the US military's most mysterious and sophisticated aircraft stirs up patriotic feelings among older folks and gets younger folks excited about military service.
If you thought the bombers were impressive on TV, you should see them in person. I was at an airshow a few years back where one did a flyover. You could not see the plane when it was turned on its side in the air. It's mindboggling to think that it's so sophisticated that from that flyover distance, it could accurately deliver a bomb to a target the size of your living room couch.
We saw them doing trial flyovers above downtown Chicago/Lake Michigan this past summer, the day before the air show there. Seemed like a tremendous waste of fuel, particularly with the cost crises this summer.
We saw them doing trial flyovers above downtown Chicago/Lake Michigan this past summer, the day before the air show there. Seemed like a tremendous waste of fuel, particularly with the cost crises this summer.
Pardon me for quoting the "company line", TabulaRasa. But, in addition to the marketing and recruiting efforts explained above, the aircraft that perform flyovers normally do training enroute to/from the flyover location. So it's not a waste of fuel as one might think.
Last edited by Crew Chief; 01-03-2009 at 10:58 PM..
I don't believe they are there for protection; how exactly would they be protecting the civilians in the stadium and why would the Military be deploying Stealth Bombers to protect a stadium full of civilians ?
I think it's for remembrance, mainly for the troops that are currently serving or who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Usually one of the planes in the fly over breaks in a different direction from the other planes--that's supposed to represent the fallen soldier.
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