The Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds flew over New York City, Philadelphia and Trenton, N.J., on Tuesday.
The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds announced the joint planned flight path as part of a display aimed at honoring health care workers on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
The 40-minute flight over Newark and New York City began at noon by the George Washington Bridge. Footage captured from the flight showed the aircraft flying near famous New York Landmarks like the Freedom Tower and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The next 30-minute flight over Trenton and Philadelphia began at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.
“Residents should observe the flyover from the safety of their home-quarantine and should refrain from traveling to see the flyover,” the Blue Angels said in the announcement.
The flyovers are part of what the Trump administration is calling Operation America Strong.
President Trump thanked the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Thursday morning for the planned flyovers.
When President Trump announced the flyover plan last week, he said the idea came from the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds crews as a way to support the medical workers.
“This is a tribute to them, to our warriors, because they’re equal warriors to those incredible pilots, all of the fighters that we have for the more traditional fights that we win,” Trump said at a White House briefing last week.
New York and New Jersey are the two states with the most reported COVID-19 cases, with 291,996 and over 111,188 confirmed cases, respectively.
Pennsylvania reported 43,648 confirmed COVID-19 cases statewide.
Updated 12:45 p.m.