Military aircraft roared through the skies above the nation’s capital for much of the afternoon on Independence Day for what organizers called “the most ambitious aviation spectacle in American history.”
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Army Chinooks, the helicopters that serve as Marine One when the president is on board, and NASA F-5 fighter jets were among the scores of aircraft spotted flying across the Washington skyline Saturday.
Their formations crossed the Potomac River from Virginia into D.C., past barges lining the river in preparation for the evening’s fireworks and then down past the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument along the National Mall.
More than 30 flyovers are scheduled for the celebration of America’s 250th birthday on the National Mall. The air show, the “Salute to America 250 Aviation Spectacle,” is part of a series of programs to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday.
The events will culminate in an evening program that includes remarks by President Donald Trump and a massive fireworks display.
The aerial processions began in early afternoon and were scheduled to end just before 11 p.m., when a B-1 bomber will perform a nighttime pass with its afterburner on. On average, military aircraft will be passing overhead roughly once every 18 minutes, with a particularly packed schedule through the afternoon and early evening. The aircraft will include stealth fighter jets, bombers, the hybrid Osprey vehicles used by the U.S. Marine Corps and the new Air Force One plane gifted by Qatar.
“Despite the heat, which isn’t as bad as predicted, the crowds in D.C. are INCREDIBLE,” the president, who was at the White House during the air show, wrote on Truth Social. “The Air Shows are at a level never seen before — What great pilots, what great equipment!!!”
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Organizers of the Independence Day Parade in D.C. canceled that event because of the heat. Freedom 250 announced the Great American State Fair on the National Mall would open on Saturday at noon instead of 10 a.m. after closing temporarily on Friday.
Crowds’ entrance to the Washington Monument grounds for the president’s speech was delayed until 5 p.m. due to weather, including a threat of evening thunderstorms. The president is scheduled to address the crowd at 9:45 p.m.
Washingtonians and crowds gathered around the National Mall got a taste of Saturday’s flyovers with several military aircraft running practice drills much of Friday afternoon.
The disruptions led some Washingtonians to vent about the air show on social media. TikTok creator LornainDC called the flyovers “noise terrorism.” On X, a Capitol Hill-focused account called The Hill is Home wrote that while “it’s great to see fireworks and military planes doing their thing,” aircraft “flying overhead at random times and feeling the stress of the noise and vibrations … [is] more like psychological warfare.”
For many of those gathered in downtown D.C., the air show captivated interest. Every time jets passed over people waiting in line to enter the fair on Saturday afternoon, many would stare up into the sky with phones in hand to capture the moment.
Daniel Baranyai said the flyovers made him miss his time in the military, where he served in the Marine Corps until 2010.
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“This country survived 250 years thick and thin,” Baranyai said.
