Super Bowl military flyover: California pilots make history with first all-female squad over Arizona stadium

GLENDAL, Arizona — History was made before the start of the Super Bowl on Sunday, when a military flyover marked 50 years for women in the Navy.

For the first time, a military aircraft flying over the game was piloted only by women.

Based at California Naval Air Station Lemur, Lieutenant Commander. Callie Zimmerman and Lieutenant Sari Moreno flew in a diamond formation as part of an elite group of squadrons.

“I am honored to be here with the team that we have and the people who represent so many squadrons here across our flight path,” Moreno said.

The flyover formation included two F/A-18F Super Hornets from the 122nd Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) Flying Eagles, an F-35C Lightning II from the Argonauts from VFA-147, and an EA 18G Growler from the Vikings from the Electronic Strike Squadron. (VAK) 129.

About 7 miles from State Farm Stadium, the squadrons trained from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona to make sure they hit their target on time.

“This part is not new to us, we do it often in our day to day training and during deployment,” Moreno explained. “The new part is the Super Bowl, we have a lot of eyes on us.”

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The base hosted a meeting of young flight enthusiasts on the eve of the Super Bowl.

There, Moreno and Zimmerman saw firsthand how they were paving the way for the next generation of women in aviation.

“It’s the best part of being a part of it, seeing this little spark come up and hoping that we can keep it going,” Moreno said.

“If our faces and the way we fly over the Super Bowl gives one person, one child who dreams, the motivation to do what we do, I think it’s worth it,” Zimmerman added.