AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2020 - 31

anthem. When you sing "home of the brave," here they come (see "Safety Spotlight: Play
Ball," January 2020 AOPA Pilot).
One of the largest historic flyovers was at the signing of the Japanese surrender in
World War II. More than 500 aircraft flew over the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.
During the funeral of President George H.W. Bush in 2018, a 21-aircraft salute honored
the chief executive and former pilot.
A "missing man" formation flyover is flown to honor those who have died. Flyovers were
performed after both the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters. In a missing man
formation, the aircraft fly a "finger-four" formation (see illustration). Two pairs of aircraft
fly a V-shape formation led by the flight leader at the point. When at viewing level, the number three aircraft quickly pulls up and out of the flight. The remaining airplanes continue
straight and level and preserve the gap in the formation where number three had been.

FINGER-FOUR FORMATION

EMAIL julie.walker@aopa.org

Arsenal of Democracy flyover set for September 25
To commemorate the seventy-fifth
anniversary of Victory in Europe
(V-E) Day (May 8, 1945) and the
Victory over Japan (V-J) Day (September 2, 1945) the Arsenal of Democracy,
in conjunction with the World War II
75th Commemoration Committee, will
air an online video tribute. The World
War II Victory Commemoration Flyover
is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. East-

ern time on September 25. The first
formation is estimated to be over the
Lincoln Memorial after 11:30 a.m.
More than 100 World War II-era aircraft are scheduled to fly. The Arsenal
of Democracy aircraft will proceed to
a holding point about 10 miles west of
Leesburg, Virginia, where they will begin the flight down the Potomac River
toward Washington, D.C.

As the aircraft approach the Lincoln Memorial, they will turn east and
proceed down Independence Avenue.
At the completion of the flyover of the
World War II Memorial, the aircraft will
turn south and begin their flight down
the Potomac River and back to their
departure airports.
ww2flyover.org

A sweet flyover

BOTTOM: MIKE FIZER, TOP KEVIN HAND

Happy 100th Birthday, Candy Bomber
During the Berlin Airlift, Gail "Hal" Halvorsen proved that you
can catch more flies with honey (or in his case, refined sugar).
He was the original pilot who helped drop 20 tons of candy to
German kids from American-built Douglas DC-4s in 1948 and
1949. West German kids called him the Candy Bomber, the
Chocolate Pilot, or-because he rocked his wings to alert them
to a candy drop-Uncle Wiggly Wings.
Halvorsen, who will turn 100 on October 10, talked to
youngsters at the airport fence near his base in Berlin one
day. He reached in his pocket and found he had only
two sticks of chewing gum, so he tore them in half to
make enough pieces for four of the children. The four
youngsters closest to the fence shared the wrappings
with those behind them, carefully tearing them into
strips, which other children then licked for the taste.
They were so grateful they didn't feel they could ask
for candy, so not a one of them begged for more gum.
Seeing that, Halvorsen promised to drop enough gum
the next day for the other children.
"How will we know which airplane it is?" they asked.
"I'll wiggle the wings," Halvorsen promised. When
he did, a huge pack of children began jumping and
waving. With each unauthorized drop his crew grew
more certain they would get into trouble. Then one of
the candy bars nearly hit a Berlin reporter who wrote
a story. And mail from kids was already flooding the

base. That tipped off the brass at last. Halvorsen was summoned to his commander and lectured on failing to inform his
superiors of the operation but was advised to keep dropping
the candy. Soon fellow pilots and the British were doing it,
stuffing candy into tubes meant to launch flares or heaving
candy out the emergency exits in the cabin. -From "He's the
Candy Bomber" by Alton K. Marsh, June 2008 AOPA Pilot

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - October 2020