Thunderbirds, Blue Angels set NJ ‘America Strong’ flyover plans

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will fly in formation over some parts of New Jersey Tuesday, to honor front line workers in the battle against the COVID-19 virus.

The planes from each group are scheduled to begin their flight at noon at the George Washington Bridge, according to a flight plan map released by the Thunderbirds on Monday. The flight will continue:

• South as it crosses the Hudson River to the Linden area and fly north towards Newark.
• Southeast across the Hudson and over Brooklyn and Staten Island then back to east over Queens by 12:20 p.m. and east over Long Island.
• North over Long Island Sound into southeastern Connecticut and Westchester County, NY
• Straight south over the East River and the Lower Bay by 12:40 p.m. to end the first flight.
•  South to the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.

A separate flyover begins at 1:45 p.m. from the Joint Base

• Northwest over Ocean, Burlington and Mercer counties and into Pennsylvania, north of Trenton.
• Back south towards Trenton and then north, still over Mercer County
• Loop south over the Bordentown area and back into Pennsylvania
• The formation will follow Routes 295 and 95 and hug the Delaware River towards Philadelphia by 1:55 p.m.
• West of Philadelphia and then southeast crossing the Delaware River to loop over Camden
• Back north over Philadelphia near towards the Willow Grove area
• Straight south towards Gloucester County, then southwest over Salem County and Delaware before breaking formation by 2:15 p.m.

The Air Force said the flight times are subject to change and discouraged people from traveling to view the flights.

Conditions should be ideal to see the flights under sunny skies although showers are a possibility as the flight hits South Jersey.

The America Strong program to honor healthcare workers, first responders, military, and other essential personnel working to protect others during the pandemic made its first flight Saturday, over 18 hospitals and medical facilities in Las Vegas. The Thunderbirds are based just outside the city in Nevada at Nellis Air Force Base.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ