USAF Heritage Flight
Encyclopedia
USAF Heritage Flight is short for the United States Air Force
Heritage Flight. It was created in 1997 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the United States Air Force. It incorporates fighters from World War II
, the Vietnam War
, the Korean War
and other conflicts in which the USAF has been involved.
The USAF Heritage Flight formation will normally consist of two or more aircraft representing the different eras of operations, making three passes past the spectators. There will be one pass each from the right and left and then a final pass from behind the crowd with the aircraft performing a separation maneuver to create separation between the aircraft followed a few seconds later by a single simultaneous aileron roll by all the aircraft in the flight.
During the flypasts there is a musical accompaniment played through the public address system. The music that is normally played is "We Remember" by Dwayne O'Brian.
After the roll maneuver each of the aircraft will then enter the airfield traffic pattern
, typically performing an individual pass before the crowd and then "pitching out" into an approach pattern and landing.
The specifics of the performance such as the roll and individual pass and landing may be modified by the weather and whether or not the local runway can safely handle the aircraft (adequate runway length) and if the airport has proper ground support equipment available..
, F-86 Sabre
, P-38 Lightning
, P-47 Thunderbolt
, P-51 Mustang
, F-16 Fighting Falcon
, F-22 Raptor
, A-10 Thunderbolt II
, F-4 Phantom and F-15E Strike Eagle
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Heritage Flight. It was created in 1997 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the United States Air Force. It incorporates fighters from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and other conflicts in which the USAF has been involved.
The USAF Heritage Flight formation will normally consist of two or more aircraft representing the different eras of operations, making three passes past the spectators. There will be one pass each from the right and left and then a final pass from behind the crowd with the aircraft performing a separation maneuver to create separation between the aircraft followed a few seconds later by a single simultaneous aileron roll by all the aircraft in the flight.
During the flypasts there is a musical accompaniment played through the public address system. The music that is normally played is "We Remember" by Dwayne O'Brian.
After the roll maneuver each of the aircraft will then enter the airfield traffic pattern
Airfield traffic pattern
An airfield traffic pattern is a standard path followed by aircraft when taking off or landing, while maintaining visual contact with the airfield....
, typically performing an individual pass before the crowd and then "pitching out" into an approach pattern and landing.
The specifics of the performance such as the roll and individual pass and landing may be modified by the weather and whether or not the local runway can safely handle the aircraft (adequate runway length) and if the airport has proper ground support equipment available..
List of planes
A-1 SkyraiderA-1 Skyraider
The Douglas A-1 Skyraider was an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. It became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed "Spad", after a French World War I fighter...
, F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
, P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
, P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
, F-16 Fighting Falcon
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, F-22 Raptor
F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a single-seat, twin-engine fifth-generation supermaneuverable fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It was designed primarily as an air superiority fighter, but has additional capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals...
, A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
, F-4 Phantom and F-15E Strike Eagle
F-15E Strike Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force F-15E Strike...
.