A spectacular Air Force One flyover above Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, thrilled 65,000 fans as the presidential jet soared over the Washington Commanders game on 9 November 2025.
Shortly after the game began, the iconic blue-and-white Boeing 747 roared low overhead, rattling the bleachers and stopping play as everyone craned their necks toward the sky.
For a few breathtaking seconds, football took a back seat to aviation.
A Presidential Jet Turned Showstopper
Sunday’s Air Force One flyover happened early in the first quarter. The aircraft was perfectly timed as it made its approach to Joint Base Andrews, just a few miles away. The roar of four General Electric CF6 engines filled the open-air stadium.
Fans erupted in chants of “USA.” Videos from the stands captured the jet’s wings slicing through the autumn sky against a colorful layer of broken overcast. It even appeared on the Jumbotron at one point.
Like any military flyover, it was a showcase of precision and planning. Low-altitude passes by Air Force One require intense coordination among the FAA, Secret Service, Andrews Tower, and stadium airspace managers, all of whom are responsible for down-to-the-second timing and altitude. A brief ground stop was even reported at Reagan National Airport (DCA) to allow for the aircraft’s passage.
A Viral Moment in the Skies
Within minutes, footage of the Air Force One flyover spread across social media. Users flooded feeds with clips and photos of the world’s most recognizable aircraft buzzing a football stadium with 65,000 people packed inside. The scene was truly electric.
Fox paused their commentary to acknowledge the noise and spectacle overhead. For many in the crowd, it was their first time seeing Air Force One in flight at such close proximity. Politics aside (we will leave that for other publications), it doesn’t matter who the president is. Seeing Air Force One up close is always breathtaking. Few, if any, aircraft on Earth have such a unique place in aviation history and national identity as Air Force One.
The jet flew at roughly 1,500 to 2,000 feet during the pass. Based on ADS-B data, it approached from the southwest before turning slightly east. This aligned it with Andrews Runway 19R, placing it directly over the stadium’s north end zone.
Such a maneuver requires exceptional skill and coordination. The aircraft’s size, the tight timing window, and the density of restricted airspace around the nation’s capital make it even more challenging. Kudos to the crew and all involved in the spectacle.
Even President Trump himself thought it was an incredible sight to see.
“I just want to say, was that the greatest flyover ever?” Trump said to reporters after landing at Andrews. “Nobody’s ever done a flyover like that.”
Was that the greatest flyover ever? Nobody’s ever done a flyover like that.
President Donald J. Trump
Trump then traveled to Northwest Stadium, where he enjoyed the game alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Commanders principal owner Josh Harris.
Trump’s attendance marks the first time a sitting president has attended a regular-season NFL game since Jimmy Carter in 1978. More recently, Trump attended Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans last February.
A Perfect Convergence of Sky and Sport
Inside the stadium, the game temporarily faded into the background as fans marveled at the sight overhead. It was a fitting moment for the NFL’s annual Salute to Service weekend, which marks Veterans Day and honors veterans and active-duty personnel. While typical military flyovers are curtailed due to the ongoing government shutdown, the roar of Air Force One, streaking low above the stands, served as an unscripted tribute to the men and women who defend this nation every day.
When the roar of the engines faded and the crowd’s attention turned back to the field, there was a quiet sense that everyone had just witnessed something special. Not the kind of planned moment you see at halftime or read about in the program, but one of those unscripted, spine-tingling things that happen when timing, skill, and a little bit of luck line up perfectly.
The kind of moment that makes a grown man tear up with pride and gratitude. Yes, I am speaking from experience (don’t judge).
For a few seconds, every person in the stadium looked up. Kids covered their ears, cameras snapped, and the noise hit in that deep, chest-thumping way only a 747 can deliver. You didn’t need to care about politics or even football to appreciate it. This was pure aviation. Loud, proud, and impossible to ignore.
Sunday’s Air Force One flyover wasn’t on the schedule, but it became the moment people will talk about long after the final whistle. And for those of us who live and breathe airplanes, it was the kind of moment you don’t soon forget. No matter how many times you’ve seen a jet take off, nothing compares to seeing one like that, in that setting, doing what it was built to do—command the sky.
