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San Diego Salute Formation Flying Team

The Team is made up of SoCal based pilots flying Western and Eastern-Block single-engine propeller-driven former military aircraft. We provide patriotic formation flyovers for a multitude of events. While some events like funeral services or memorials are booked to help capture the patriotism of those honored, others like weddings, sporting events, fundraisers and holidays celebrate the majesty of the day.

Flights are conducted in accordance with FAA regulations, typically overflying the service or memorial at 1000 feet above ground level. This is high enough to provide a safe environment but low enough for the formation to be easily seen and heard.

A conventional Memorial/Missing Man Formation Flyover will consist of 4 aircraft, but larger formations of eight or more are possible and can be suited to any particular event. 

Formations

The formation skills used to conduct these flights are developed in accordance with the Formation And Safety Team (FAST), a global group of civilian organizations, primarily the T-34 Association (www.t-34.com) and the Red Star Pilots Association (www.flyredstar.org).  The images of the main formations used are from the Red Star Pilot’s Association Formation Manual.

Aircraft

Our aircraft are Eastern and Western Block military trainers and aerobatic competition aircraft: the US designed and manufactured 2-seat Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, the Russian designed single-seat Yakovlev Yak-50 and two-seat Yakovlev Yak-52, and the Chinese designed Nanchang CJ-6.

Public Appearance Schedule