Updated: President George H. W. Bush was laid to rest today at his Presidential Library today in College Station, Texas. A 21-ship of F/A-18 Super Hornets with tailhooks deployed flew over to honor the late President. Video that was posted by FoxNews anchor Lauren Blanchard (Twitter: @LaurenBlanch12) and Twitter user Debbie Leland (Twitter user: @deblel) is posted below:
Watch this whole thing. A 21-aircraft missing man formation. The end when the aircraft with the name of #GHWB on the side peels off & disappears into the sky gave me goosebumps. pic.twitter.com/dZnnMX7X5G
— Lauren Blanchard (@LaurenBlanch12) December 6, 2018
4 of the 21 jets in the flyover for President Bush in College Station pic.twitter.com/y6sjT03cRq
— Debbie Leland (@deblel) December 6, 2018
Original Article:
The 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, will be laid to rest at his presidential library at College Station, Texas on Thursday. As part of the service, the US Navy will fly a special 21 jet salute over the gravesite. The missing man formation will be comprised of F/A-18 aircraft from eight squadrons. The jets departed out of Oceana to prepare for the unique flyover on Tuesday. The flyover will take place on Thursday afternoon after a final funeral service at a church in Houston. The body will then be transported by train to College Station. The internment ceremony is expected to begin at 4:15pm central time.
The flyover is the largest F/A-18 Super Hornet formation flyover ever conducted by the US Navy. It is meant as a special tribute to honor the 41st President who served honorably as a Navy pilot in World War II before continuing on to dedicate his career in public service. President Bush flew the Avenger in combat, surviving a crash landing and earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism.
While the flyover tomorrow represents the largest F/A-18 missing man flyover formation, it isn’t the first time that such a large missing man formation was conducted for a presidential funeral. In 2006, the US Air Force flew a 21-ship of F-15s over the final resting place of former-President Gerald Ford.
A smaller missing man formation was also flown by F/A-18s for former-President Ronald Reagan’s funeral in 2004.
We will continue to update this story as we learn more.
