“We stand on the shoulders of giants. There’s a lot of people who make what we do possible…this is for them.”- LT Caitlin Perkowski.
The @USNavy all-female #SBLVII flyover team is ready to soar. I am looking forward to witnessing these women make history. #FlyNavy pic.twitter.com/EFzddPEr28
— DATSD Melanie Fonder Kaye (@DOD_Outreach) February 12, 2023
This year's Super Bowl Sunday was not short of memorable moments. Before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs commenced, history was made in the sky by a team of all-female pilots, who honored the pre-game tradition by performing a diamond formation over the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This first-ever occasion celebrates the 50th anniversary of women aviators in the U.S. Navy.
The flyover team was made up of four female pilots in jets that are mostly maintained by women as well. “It was surreal,” Navy Lt. Catie Perkowski, one of the selected aviators, says. “As a football fan, when I got the call to do the Super Bowl flyover, it's almost like a dream initially for someone who loves the NFL.” She and the other three pilots flew over the stadium at about 345 miles per hour while maintaining a harmonious formation.
“For the 1st time, today’s Super Bowl Flyover will be led by an all-female team of U.S. Navy aviators,” Rep. Mikie Sherrill says. “As a former Navy helicopter pilot, I’m so proud of this team of women & look forward to watching them make history while celebrating 50 years of women flying in the Navy.” This momentous occasion also honored the Navy's first female jet pilot, Capt. Rosemary Mariner, who was also the first woman to command an operational aviation squadron. It was at her funeral in 2019, that the Navy orchestrated the first-ever all-female flyover.
Although it has been 50 years since women have been able to enter flight school, they still only make up about 15% of naval aviators. Hopefully, this televised display will bring much-needed recognition to what they do. “I think it's a message not just to young girls, but to young people that they can do whatever they set their mind to,” Lt. Peggy Dente, another member of the all-female flyover team, says. “And if they want to be a jet pilot, that is well within possibility for them.”
Before the Super Bowl LVII even started, history was made in the sky.
For the first time ever, an all-woman team of aviators will conduct the pregame flyover at the Super Bowl, celebrating 50 years of women in @USNavy aviation 👏 #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/SkGqFWNBhE
— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2023
A flyover team made up of all female U.S. Navy pilots made a diamond formation prior to the game.
What an incredible flyover by the @USNavy and it’s all-female team of pilots! pic.twitter.com/n9M0HME9NP
— Airshow News (@NewsAirshow) February 12, 2023
This was the first-ever occasion at Super Bowl Sunday.
For the 1st time, today’s Super Bowl Flyover will be led by an all female team of U.S. Navy aviators. As a former Navy helicopter pilot, I’m so proud of this team of women & look forward to watching them make history while celebrating 50 years of women flying in the Navy. ✈️🚁
— Rep. Mikie Sherrill (@RepSherrill) February 12, 2023
h/t: [Good Morning America]
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