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Wing marks 30 years of July Fourth flyovers

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  • 419th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah – Twenty-eighteen marks 30 years of Independence Day flyovers for communities across Northern Utah, as pilots from the 419th Fighter Wing once again take to the skies this holiday.

 

The Air Force Reserve unit at Hill AFB has been flying over July Fourth celebrations almost every year since receiving the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1983. The wing has since transitioned to the Air Force’s newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II. 

 

This year, four F-35s will fly over 14 cities: Centerville, Clearfield, Farr West, Huntsville, Kaysville, Liberty, Morgan, Murray, North Ogden, Park City, Riverdale, Vernal, West Point, and West Jordan. Other cities will likely catch a glimpse of the aircraft that morning as the pilots prepare for their next pass.

Flying the jets will be Lt. Col. Bart “Face” Wilbanks, Lt. Col. Nathan “Bear” Litz, Lt. Col. Jayson “Vato” Rickard, and Capt. Mark “Quatro” Tappendorf. The four reservists have more than 10,000 combined flying hours, along with multiple combat deployments.

 

Flyovers begin at 9 a.m. and end around 11 a.m., but F-35 maintainers will be at work early that morning to prep the jets for takeoff. More than 20 Airmen volunteered to work the holiday to continue the longstanding tradition. 

 

Hill received the F-35A in September 2015 and will be home to 78 jets by the end of 2019. The active duty 388th FW and Air Force Reserve 419th FW fly and maintain the jets in a Total Force partnership, which capitalizes on the strength of both components.