Photo By Jerry Hewitt | 104th Fighter Wing pilots maj. Martin 'Heklr' Clark and first lietenant Sydney 'Echo'...... read more read more
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BARNES AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Massachusetts – The 104th Fighter Wing recently performed an F-15 Eagle flyover on June 29, 2024, at the Crestview Construction – SMX Monster Energy AMA Pro Motocross National Championship at The Wick 338, Southwick, Massachusetts.
The flyovers conducted by the 104th Fighter Wing's F-15 Eagles during special events serve as a symbol of air power and patriotism, and also serves as an additional training opportunity for the pilots and ground crews. Performing the flyover at this year’s motocross event was 104th Fighter Wing pilots maj. Martin ‘Heklr’ Clark, and first lieutenant Sydney ‘Echo’ Currenti.
“Like anything, performing flyovers takes a lot of practice and a lot of training,” said Clark. “I’ve personally done around 20-30 flyovers over the years, which included events like New England Patriots games, NASCAR races, and several Memorial Day and Fourth of July events and airshows.
When asked about his favorite flyover experience, Clark further shared his excitement and admiration for performing flyovers at The Wick 338 for the Motocross National Championship.
“It’s really a great event,” said Clark. “It’s local and track ownership and coordinators are always great to work with.”
When performing a flyover, 104th Fighter Wing pilots typically fly in a close formation, with the F-15 Eagles remaining around ten feet apart. Despite all the training that takes place in preparation for conducting flyovers, Clark also expressed some of the unique challenges that are associated with performing them.
“The biggest challenge I think is nailing the timing,” said Clark. “We’re trying to time hitting a point at the last note of the national anthem at over 400 miles-per-hour, and a lot of singers vary their timing when performing the Star-Spangled Banner, so we’re constantly having to adjust our speed throughout the run to make sure we are directly overhead right at that last note.”
At the event, Clark and Currenti flew over the starting gate right on queue, and was met with roaring applause that led to the kickoff of the motocross races.
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2024 14:23 |
| Story ID: | 475321 |
| Location: | SOUTHWICK, MASSACHUSETTS, US |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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