JFTB supports Super Bowl LVI
Base serves as staging ground for Air Force flyover of football’s biggest game
by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman
California National Guard Public Affairs
Feb. 17, 2022
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – While football fans turned their attention on SoFi Stadium during the week ahead of Super Bowl LVI, the U.S. Air Force turned its attention some 27 miles away to Cal Guard's Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos.
As the closest military airfield to downtown Los Angeles, the base became the staging ground for the Air Force Heritage Flight flyover of the big game.
"This is the perfect location for it," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Haden Fullam, who serves as the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team commander and was one of the flyover pilots.
"It allows us to be right here next to the stadium and right where we need to be to execute the mission," he said.
The A-10 was one of five aircraft tapped to fly over the stadium as country singer Mickey Guyton belted out the national anthem.
Air Force flyovers of the Super Bowl are nothing new, but this year's event took on a different look and feel.
To celebrate the its 75th anniversary, the service put together a first-of-its-kind flyover demonstrating the evolution of U.S. military air power.
For six days leading up to the game, the A-10 was joined on the ramp of the base's Los Alamitos Army Airfield by a P-51 Mustang from the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation in Chino, an F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw AFB in South Carolina, an F-22 Raptor from Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia, and an F-35 Lightning from Hill AFB in Utah.
Hosting the aircraft also meant hosting a series of events leading up to the flyover.
"It was an honor to plan, coordinate and work this event with the Air Force staff back east," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Manju Vig, garrison commander for the base. "The team here at JFTB really rallied to support and execute a safe flyover event to our hometown Super Bowl."
An Air Force aerial events team from the Pentagon coordinated a number of national media and outreach engagements on the airfield to build awareness of the historic flyover in the run-up to Sunday's game.
"Everyone was so helpful and so great to work with," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Matthew Bittner, chief of the Aerial Events Branch within Air Combat Command. "They made the successful flyover possible, and we appreciated their hospitality."
For U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan Radillo, a petroleum fuels specialist with the California Army National Guard's Company E, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, a simple phone call offered an unexpected opportunity to be part of the big event.
"I just received a call to see if I wanted to fuel jet planes," Radillo said. "I didn't know it was for the Super Bowl until I got here, and I got excited."
Radillo is used to fueling Cal Guard's UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and the flyover gave him a chance to try something new with familiar hardware.
"This is my first time fueling the F-16s and the Warthogs," he said referring to the A-10's unofficial nickname.
"I'm used to helicopters, but all the mechanisms still work the same," Radillo said after refueling the aircraft upon their arrival to the airfield Feb. 8. "I'll be here all week fueling these bad boys."
The fuel Radillo and the airfield team pumped into the jets was mission critical.
"We can take off out here, we have plenty of gas and plenty of time to hold," Fullam said of timing the flyover in sync with a live event and live performance.
Taking off from North Orange County gave the pilots more mission flexibility as they didn't burn fuel flying to the greater Los Angeles area from other regions in the state.
The airfield's location also gave the crews greater geographic flexibility to fulfill other public relations commitments at the stadium.
"We don't have long transit times, and we've got all the facilities we need right here," Fullam said. "We're able to keep the pilots, maintainers and everybody associated with us right here close to the airfield, close to the stadium, and close to downtown. The proximity piece is a huge win."
More than 100 million viewers tuned in to watch Super Bowl LVI on television. Another 129,000 watched the flyover livestream on the U.S. Air Force Facebook page.
COVER VIDEO: U.S. Air Force Capt. Haden Fullam takes off in an A-10C Thunderbolt II from Los Alamitos Army Airfield, Feb. 13, for the Air Force Heritage Flight flyover of Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
An F-35A Lightning II flown by U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin Wolfe takes off Feb. 9 from Los Alamitos Army Airfield on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, for a rehearsal of the Super Bowl LVI flyover of SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
An F-35A Lightning II flown by U.S. Air Force Maj. Kristin Wolfe takes off Feb. 9 from Los Alamitos Army Airfield on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, for a rehearsal of the Super Bowl LVI flyover of SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
Four of five aircraft performing the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight flyover of Super Bowl LVI are on the ramp of Los Alamitos Army Airfield, Feb. 10, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. The fifth aircraft, a P-51 Mustang was parked in a hangar. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
Four of five aircraft performing the U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight flyover of Super Bowl LVI are on the ramp of Los Alamitos Army Airfield, Feb. 10, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. The fifth aircraft, a P-51 Mustang was parked in a hangar. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Matern, a crew chief with the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, gives content creators a tour of the jet he is responsible for during an outreach event for the Super Bowl LVI flyover, Feb. 9, at Los Alamitos Army Airfield on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kyle Matern, a crew chief with the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, gives content creators a tour of the jet he is responsible for during an outreach event for the Super Bowl LVI flyover, Feb. 9, at Los Alamitos Army Airfield on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan Radillo, a petroleum fuels specialist with Company E, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, California Army National Guard, walks to fuel a U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon jet aircraft from the Viper Demo Team, Feb. 8, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
U.S. Army Spc. Jonathan Radillo, a petroleum fuels specialist with Company E, 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment, California Army National Guard, walks to fuel a U.S. Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon jet aircraft from the Viper Demo Team, Feb. 8, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II is on the ramp of Los Alamitos Army Airfield at sunrise, Feb. 10, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
A U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II is on the ramp of Los Alamitos Army Airfield at sunrise, Feb. 10, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
NBC News’ Tom Llamas interviews U.S. Air Force Maj. Garret Schmitz, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot, Feb. 10, before the pair went up for a flight in the F-16. The piece aired on the Today Show Feb. 11. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
NBC News’ Tom Llamas interviews U.S. Air Force Maj. Garret Schmitz, F-16 Viper Demonstration Team commander and pilot, Feb. 10, before the pair went up for a flight in the F-16. The piece aired on the Today Show Feb. 11. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, F-22 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, is interviewed by a reporter from Telemundo on the ramp of Los Alamitos Army Airfield, Feb. 10, 2022, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California. The Super Bowl LVI Air Force Heritage Flight flyover pilots conducted a series of media and outreach engagements on the base leading up to the flyover. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
U.S. Air Force Maj. Joshua “Cabo” Gunderson, F-22 Demonstration Team commander and pilot, is interviewed by a reporter from Telemundo on the ramp of Los Alamitos Army Airfield, Feb. 10, 2022, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California. The Super Bowl LVI Air Force Heritage Flight flyover pilots conducted a series of media and outreach engagements on the base leading up to the flyover. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
An NFL Network crew films Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner walking out of the Los Alamitos Army Airfield Base Operations building for an F-16 flight with U.S. Air Force Capt. Aimee Fiedler, Feb. 10, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
An NFL Network crew films Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner walking out of the Los Alamitos Army Airfield Base Operations building for an F-16 flight with U.S. Air Force Capt. Aimee Fiedler, Feb. 10, at Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Crystal Housman)
Rampage, the Los Angeles Rams mascot, sits in the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 10, 2022, at Los Alamitos Army Airfield on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California, during an NFL event leading up to Super Bowl LVI in nearby Inglewood. The aircraft was one of five to fly in the Air Force Heritage Flight flyover of the game. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
Rampage, the Los Angeles Rams mascot, sits in the cockpit of a U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Feb. 10, 2022, at Los Alamitos Army Airfield on Joint Forces Training Base, Los Alamitos, California, during an NFL event leading up to Super Bowl LVI in nearby Inglewood. The aircraft was one of five to fly in the Air Force Heritage Flight flyover of the game. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Joaquin Vasquez-Duran)
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