Southern California health care workers, first responders and essential employees will be honored with flyovers in Los Angeles County, the Inland Empire and Ventura County Thursday afternoon.
Los Angeles County
The first flyover is scheduled to begin about 11 a.m. in the Antelope Valley.
Aircraft from the 412th Test Wing will travel over Lancaster City Hall and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lancaster Station, Kaiser Permanente Antelope Valley Medical Offices, Antelope Valley Hospital, Palmdale City Hall, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Palmdale Station and Palmdale Regional Medical Center before returning to Edwards Air Force Base.
“The flyover is our way of showing our gratitude to health care workers, first responders, and others on the frontlines in our combined fight against COVID-19,” Col. Matthew Higer, commander, 412th Test Wing, stated in an article on the Edwards Air Force Base website.
Inland Empire
Residents along the flyover path in the Inland Empire should be able to see a C-17 Globemaster III (a cargo aircraft) and a KC-135 Stratotanker (a refueling aircraft) from the safety of their home, March Air Reserve Base posted on its Facebook page.
The public was urged to refrain from gathering in large groups to view the flyovers and to maintain social distancing guidelines.
The flyovers do not incur any additional cost to the taxpayer, the Facebook post mentioned.
The C-17 is scheduled to make the initial flyover at each location, followed three minutes later by the KC-135.
March Air Reserve Base provided the following times and locations for the event:
- Menifee Global Medical Center-1303 (1:03 p.m.)
- Kaiser Permanente Murrieta-1305 (1:05 p.m.)
- Loma Linda Medical Center Murrieta-1305 (1:05 p.m.)
- Temecula Valley Hospital -1309 (1:09 p.m.)
- Rancho Springs Medical Center-1311 (1:11 p.m.)
- Inland Valley Regional Medical Center-1312 (1:12 p.m.)
- Lake Elsinore Family Care Center -1313 (1:13 p.m.)
- Corona Regional Medical Center-1320 (1:20 p.m.)
- Kaiser Permanente Riverside-1322 (1:22 p.m.)
- Parkview Community Hospital -1323 (1:23 p.m.)
- Riverside Community Hospital-1324 (1:24 p.m.)
- Arrowhead Regional Medical Center-1326 (1:26 p.m.)
- Loma Linda Children’s Hospital-1327 (1:27 p.m.)
- Loma Linda VA Hospital -1328 (1:28 p.m.)
- San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital -1333 (1:33 p.m.)
- JFK Memorial Hospital-1348 (1:48 p.m.)
- Desert Regional Medical Center-1355 (1:55 p.m.)
- Riverside University Health System-1406 (2:06 p.m.)
- Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley-1408 (2:08 p.m.)
Ventura County
About 2 p.m., a formation of two C130J Super Hercules aircraft will begin another flyover further west as part of Operation America Strong.
“We are so grateful to all of our health care workers serving in our communities,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Keith Chikasawa. “Thank you for your service.”
The schedule for the flyover, which will mostly travel over medical centers in Ventura County after taking off in Palmdale, was posted on Facebook by the 146th Airlift Wing.
