Flyovers today honor front-line workers
Four WWII airplanes on trip around state will take laps over number of cities
A fleet of World War II military aircraft will fly over the state today to honor front-line workers in the fight against the coronavirus.
The four aircraft — a Goodyear F2G Super Corsair and three North American P-51 Mustangs — will fly two laps over several cities, cruising at approximately 250 mph at an altitude of 1,000 feet when above densely populated areas.
The formation is scheduled to fly over Bentonville at 8 a.m., then fly a route that will take it over Springdale, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Russellville, Conway, Little Rock, Hot Springs, Texarkana, El Dorado, Pine Bluff, Searcy, Newport, Jonesboro, Mountain Home and Harrison, and then back to Bentonville.
The itinerary for the Arkansas: A United State flyover is:
■ 8 a.m. Depart Thaden
Field/Bentonville.
■ 8:20 a.m. Springdale and Fayetteville w/laps around hospitals.
■ 9 a.m. Fort Smith — two laps.
■ 9:20 a.m. Russellville — two laps.
■ 9:35 a.m. Conway — two laps.
■ 9:45 a.m. Little Rock — two laps around UAMS and other centrally located hospitals.
■ 10:15 a.m. Land at Little Rock National Airport and taxi to Tac Air.
■ 11:30 a.m. Depart Little Rock.
■ 11:45 a.m Hot Springs — two laps.
■ 12:20 p.m. Texarkana — two laps.
■ 12:45 p.m. El Dorado — two laps.
■ 1:15 p.m Pine Bluff — 2 laps.
■ 1:30 p.m. Land at Grider Field at Pine Bluff Regional Airport.
■ 2:30 p.m. Depart Pine Bluff.
■ 3 p.m. Searcy — two laps.
■ 3:20 p.m. Jonesboro — two laps.
■ 4 p.m. Mountain Home flyover.
■ 4:15 p.m. Harrison — one lap.
■ 4:35 p.m. Rogers — two laps around Mercy Hospital.
■ 4:45 p.m. Land at Thaden Field/Bentonville.
Steuart Walton, chairman of the Arkansas Economic Recovery Task Force, is leading the flyover.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson in April appointed him to lead the task force, whose mission is to provide recommendations for reviving Arkansas’ economy.
The “United State” theme is an important message to communicate, Walton said.
“Every person in every corner of this state matters and we are united in our common resiliency, our grit, our determination and our faith in one another,” Walton said in a news release. “Social distancing prohibits us from shaking the hands of people we want to honor, but this flyover allows us to do so from above.
“Just as a flyover event like this requires people to work together,” Walton said, “so, too, does overcoming the challenges of this multi-faceted crisis. It’s important to get the message out that Arkansans are united in this effort.”
Walton calls flying a family passion. His grandfather, Walmart founder Sam Walton, would fly a plane over Walmart store parking lots in the early years of the retailer to count cars as an indication of business activity, the news release said.
The recovery task force has developed informational and educational resources to help businesses, nonprofits and consumers re-engage with the state’s economy and can be found at www.arkansasready.com.