About 60 general aviation aircraft will close Reagan National Airport for an hour and go where none have gone for decades May 11 (May 12 weather day) when the National Celebration of General Aviation DC Flyover takes place over the seat of government. The aircraft, chosen to represent the roles and eras of GA since 1939, will commemorate the first proclamation of Aviation Day by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the creation of AOPA 85 years ago. “We want to tell the story of GA,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. Anyone in D.C. will get a great view of the flight from the mall area, and for those at home it will be streamed live on AOPA’s YouTube channel with AOPA Live anchor Tom Haines and veteran aviation journalist Miles O’Brien providing commentary starting at 11:45 EDT.
The aircraft, in 22 different flights, will follow the Potomac River to downtown Washington where they will fly over the National Mall before heading down Independence Ave. They’ll go through airspace that has been closed to anything but military and emergency aircraft since 9/11 and even through the ultra-secure P56 airspace, which has been sealed off for decades. The planes range from antiques to the very newest aircraft, the Piper M700 Fury, which was only certified in March. Recreational, training, amphibious, homebuilt along with military and law enforcement aircraft will be represented. The Titan Aerobatic Team’s formation of four Second World War-era T-6 Texans will provide the finale with a smoke show but without aerobatics.
As might be imagined, the preparation for such an event is enormous. Mike Ginter, AOPA’s VP of State Advocacy, started by getting approval from civic, state and federal agencies up to and including the Secret Service. Of course, all pilots, passengers and planes had to be vetted and they will all be inspected in Frederick before they launch. And as symbolically exciting as it might be, Ginter’s goal anything but. “We want this to be a boring successful event from a government perspective,” he said.
