PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — F-15 Eagle fighter jets from the Air National Guard are flying across Oregon on Memorial Day.
The jets, part of the 142nd Wing, took off from the Portland Air National Guard Base at PDX and are passing over several Oregon communities at a noticeably lower-than-normal altitude of 1,000 feet.
“F-15 flyovers from the 142nd Wing and your hometown Air Force are a way for us to pay tribute to American patriots who paid the ultimate sacrifice and their families,” said Air Force Col. Todd Hofford, the wing’s commander, in a prepared release.
Although not anywhere close to the speed of sound, the aces are offering the “public salute” at speeds of around 400 mph, officials said.
“It is an honor to protect and defend the Pacific Northwest and the freedoms which allow us to spend time with our loved ones on this National Holiday,” he said.
Here’s where the F-15s were scheduled to blaze across the sky:
- Wasco at 10 a.m.
- Willamette National Cemetery in Portland at 10:10 a.m.
- Salem at 10:17 a.m.
- Astoria at 10:55 a.m.
- Beaverton at 11:06 a.m.
Pilots were scheduled to fly over Reedsport around 10:30 a.m. Monday, but that flight path was canceled due to weather, the 142nd Wing said in a Tweet.