Military flyovers this week in Southern Colorado
It's not the Thunderbirds, nor the Blue Angels, but some of Colorado's military pilots are saluting health workers this week with a series of flyovers.
On Wednesday, between 4:30pm and 6:30pm, F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft will take off from Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora and pass through much of the state.
According to a statement from the 140th Wing of the Colorado Air National Guard, the jets will be seen at multiple locations from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, including Fort Carson, and the mountain communities of Vail, Aspen, and Estes Park.
According to a map released by the squadron, they are expected to pass over the Colorado Springs area around 5:33pm before returning to the Denver area.
Although the map released by the national guard doesn't appear to include Pueblo, the published list of hospitals targeted in the flyover includes several locations in the Steel City, including St. Mary - Corwin and Parkview Medical Centers.
Here is the full list expected to see the flyover between 5:33-5:44pm:
UCHEALTH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL NORTH
ST FRANCIS MEDICAL CENTER
COLONIAL COLUMNS NURSING CENTER
PENROSE HOSPITAL
CEDARWOOD HEALTH CARE CENTER
UCHEALTH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL CENTRAL
ENCOMPASS HEALTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF COLORADO SPRINGS
TERRACE GARDENS HEALTHCARE CENTER
ASPEN LIVING CENTER
FORT CARSON ARMY HOSPITAL
ST MARY CORWIN PHYSICIAN PARTNERSHIP
PARKVIEW MEDICAL CENTER
THE HAVEN BEHAVIORAL WAR HEROES HOSPITAL
MINNEQUA MEDICENTER
As part of Operation American Resolve, Air Force units around the country are conducting flyovers in an effort to boost morale during this time of severe health and economic impacts resulting from the pandemic.
"We hope that when our fellow citizens hear the jets fly over, they will know that we remain strong as a nation and we will get through this as one team," said Col. Micah Fesler, commander of the 140th Wing. "We are proud to serve alongside the first responders and essential personnel who are fighting the COVID-19 battle here in our state and we salute their service."
In addition to the F-16 aircraft on Wednesday, two C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson AFB passed over some of the same areas a few hours earlier.
The map above shows the approximate arrival time of the C-130s at the major medical centers in Colorado Springs. Some Twitter users snapped shots of the flyover.
In a video statement released Monday, Col. James DeVere, 302nd Airlift Wing commander, explained that the salutes only required a slight modification to their routine operations.
"These flyovers are scheduled to occur during one of our Wing's training missions, and will incur no additional cost to taxpayers," he said.
He added that his group was proud to support health care workers on the front lines at front range hospitals.
