In the skies above campus today, four Air Force F-16C fighter jets have been practicing for their fly-over before Saturday’s football game.
Student have no doubt noticed, as the loud roar, fading in and out, is hard to miss.
The men piloting the jets are part of Swamp Fox, the 157th Fighter Squadron of South Carolina Air National Guard.
On Saturday, they will continue the tradition of flying over Kenan Stadium before kick-off of the first home football game of the year, which this year is against Georgia Tech.
Two of the four fighter pilots are UNC alumni — Lt. Col. Scott “Chop” Lambe of Atlanta, Georgia, UNC ’87 and Maj. Brent “Wrench” Allen of Chapel Hill, UNC ’94, said Linda Convissor, Director of Local Relations for the University in a letter to the community. Swamp Fox returned from Iraq in August.
The practice run, originally scheduled for 10:45 a.m. to 11 a.m., was pushed back to 11:40 a.m. due to delays at the base, said Convissor.
Prior to the practice run, informational e-mails were sent out to all UNC faculty and staff, as well as to safety departments, local radio stations and print media, said Michael Beale, Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing and Promotions.
Though the community at large was notified, students were not sent an email, and some said they were surprised by the presence of jets on campus.
“I knew they were jets but beyond that I really wondered what they were doing here,” junior Kate Hankins said. “I just kind of wish they’d warned us beforehand.”
Beale said the fly-over tradition began five or six years ago when Allen approached the Athletics Department about performing fly-overs for games. The fly-overs do not cost the university any money – they are part of a pilot’s training and go toward his required number of hours.
Expect to hear the roar of jet engines again this Saturday between 12:08 p.m and 12:10 p.m. as members of Swamp Fox kick off the home season.
@TarHeelWire shared the below video showing the jets as they cross over the stadium. Another video has been posted on Flickr by @davidb.
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