Flypast A flypast is a ceremonial or honorific flight by a group of aircraft or a single aircraft . The term " flypast " is used in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth . In the United States , the terms flyover and flyby are used . Flypasts are often tied in with Royal or state events , anniversaries , celebrations - and occasionally funerary or memorial occasions . Sometimes flypasts occur in special situations , to honour someone or to celebrate certain types of aircraft . They have affinities with parade s , of which they form the aerial component . Often they occur in purely display contexts at airshows , but it is the flypasts linked with civic , ceremonial and national pride , that imprint themselves on a nation ' s memory . These spectacular and daring displays of military - and occasionally passenger - aircraft , are described in broadcast and print media as " historic " . Flypasts are regularly featured in public and ceremonial life in the United Kingdom , where they function as a particular kind of aerial salute . They serve to show respect , display aircraft , showcase flying skills and delight the public , e . g . , during their annual appearance after Trooping the Colour . In Commonwealth countries , notably Singapore , Canada and Australia , they occur on national days and occasionally on anniversaries . They are seen more rarely in other territories . Flypast performers . Flypasts are usually performed by a country ' s Air Force or Navy . In the UK , Royal Air Force ( RAF ) flypasts often originate from well known airfields , e . g . RAF Duxford or RAF Odiham . Very often , a flypast will be concluded by the RAF ' s aerobatic team , the Red Arrows , flying with their trademark red , white and blue trails . On appropriate occasions there is an appearance of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight , generally comprising the distinctive Lancaster flanked by two smaller World War II aircraft , a Spitfire and a Hurricane . Flypasts have been performed by , among others , the Indian Air Force , the Pakistan Air Force , the Republic of Singapore Air Force , the Royal Canadian Air Force , and the Royal Australian Air Force . National air force precision aerobatic teams , such as Patrouille de France , the Snowbirds and Frecce Tricolori , often appear . Flypast locations . Flypast locations are usually of national importance . In the UK , these include Buckingham Palace , where the Royal Family on the balcony will join the thousands of spectators in streets and parks below . Other London settings have included the River Thames . 50th and 60th anniversaries of World War II were celebrated by flypasts over Normandy in France . Festivities of Trafalgar 200 were centred over Portsmouth and at sea . Settings have included the National Stadium , The Float @ Marina Bay and the Padang in Singapore ; Pakistan ' s Parliament House in Islamabad ; Australia ' s Parliament House and ANZAC Parade to the Australian War Memorial , in Canberra ; and Parliament Hill , Ottawa , Canada . United Kingdom flypasts . Early flypasts . The connection of Trooping the Colour with Royal Air Force flypasts began in 1913 when the Royal Flying Corps Military Wing performed a flypast for King George V on Laffan ' s Plain , near Aldershot . On 6 July 1935 , George V carried out his Silver Jubilee Review of the Royal Air Force at RAF Duxford and RAF Mildenhall which included 200 aircraft on the ground and a flypast of 350 aircraft . King George VI attended a flypast at the opening ceremony of the Empire Exhibition , Scotland 1938 at Ibrox Stadium on 5 May 1938 , with his consort Queen Elizabeth . World War II and associated flypasts . Achievements of the Royal Air Force in World War II were celebrated at the time and continue to be commemorated in flypasts . The upper dams of Ladybower Reservoir were used to practise for the Dambusters raids and this is occasionally commemorated in flypasts by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight . On 15 September 1945 , after the war ended , about 300 aircraft flew over London in the first Battle of Britain anniversary flypast . " The formation was led by 247 Squadron in their new Vampire fighters , the first time the public had seen the aircraft . " This flypast was apparently led by Douglas Bader ( RAF hero commemorated and portrayed by Kenneth More in the film " Reach For the Sky . " ) An attender recalls a victory parade in London on 8 June 1946 featuring two flypasts , one during the day and one at night . Scores of aircraft , of many kinds , took part . Coronation Day , 1953 . The ceremonial flypast over Buckingham Palace on Queen Elizabeth II ' s Coronation Day , Tuesday 2 June 1953 was nearly cancelled due to bad weather . However , " after a short delay Duxford ' s Wing Commander Wallace successfully led 144 RAF Meteors and 24 Royal Canadian Air Force Sabres at 1 , 200 feet South to North across The Mall in squadrons line astern as the newly crowned Queen took the salute from the balcony of Buckingham Palace . " This 168 - aircraft parade was under the charge of the Earl of Bandon . ( On 15 May 1954 , the Duxford Wing escorted the Queen on her return in the Royal Yacht , called HMY Britannia , from a six - month world tour , illustrating how much a part of ceremonial flypasts were in Elizabeth ' s early reign . ) On 15 July 1953 the Queen conducted a Coronation Review of the Royal Air Force at RAF Odiham . This spectacular featured a flypast by about 640 aircraft - among them 440 jet aircraft - again under the command of Air Vice - Marshal the Earl of Bandon . 50th and 60th anniversaries of World War II . These were commemorated with large flypasts . On 15 September 1990 , 168 aircraft in seven formations celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain . Further flypasts occurred on 6 June 1994 , celebrating the 50th anniversary of D - Day . Over the weekend of 19 – 20 August 1995 , the 50th anniversary of VJ Day was marked , including " a two - minute silence which . . . was ended by a Lancaster bomber overflying The Mall and dropping about a million poppies over the site . " In the evening , there was a further flypast on the Thames . 6 June 2004 marked the 60th Anniversary of D - day , with the Normandy landings commemorated by veterans ( many now aged 80 + years ) and political leaders at locations throughout Normandy . The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight scattered millions of poppies over the veterans as they crossed the English Channel by ferry . Later , it flew over the veterans at Arromanches , concluding a memorial service with a 47 - aircraft flypast of modern military jets led by the RAF Red Arrows . At Pegasus Bridge , the Army Air Corps conducted a flypast of Lynx helicopters . On 10 July 2005 , the 60th anniversary of VE Day was marked by a flypast of vintage aircraft which again dropped one million poppies on crowds in The Mall . Trafalgar 200 . Trafalgar 200 was events during 2005 watched by thousands in Portsmouth , England , and millions on TV , commemorating the bicentennial of the Battle of Trafalgar . Among several flypasts , The Red Arrows overflew the Fleet review by the Queen . Royal Flypasts in the United Kingdom since 2000 . The years since 2000 have been particularly rich in flypasts reflecting milestones of Royal life . To greet the Queen Mother as their Commandant - in - Chief during her 100th Birthday Official Celebrations on 19 July 2000 , the Red Arrows gave a 10 - Hawk flypast over Horse Guards Parade - one plane for each decade of her life . On Tuesday , 9 April 2002 , the Queen Mother ' s burial at Windsor was marked by a flypast of a World War II Lancaster flanked by two Spitfires . The finale of the Queen ' s Golden Jubilee Weekend on 4 June 2002 saw a lavish flypast " 14 miles long at a speed of 310mph , passing overhead at a height of 1500ft . " The formation , concluded by Concorde with a Red Arrows escort , was watched by the Royal Family on Buckingham Palace balcony and a million well - wishers in the Mall . Among the celebrations of the Queen ' s 80th birthday during 2006 was a flypast following the Trooping the Colour . Headed by the Lancaster with 2 Hurricanes and 2 Spitfires ( Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ) , the 49 aircraft in 9 formations included Typhoons , Jaguars , Tristar , VC10 , C - 17A Globemaster III and E - 3 Sentry . The highlight was a " Diamond 9 " formation of Tornado GR4s and the appearance of a Canberra escorted by the Red Arrows . On Friday , 29 April 2011 , after the wedding ceremony of Prince William , Duke of Cambridge and Catherine , Duchess of Cambridge , a flypast of one Avro Lancaster bomber , one Spitfire and one Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft was executed over Buckingham Palace , within sight of the celebrating public . This was then followed by a " Diamond 4 " formation consisting of two Eurofighter Typhoon and Panavia Tornado jets . Miscellaneous commemorations . In the UK , flypasts reflect milestones of national life ; varying in scope from personal , to community and local , to military , to national , they may honour individuals in private or public life or commemorate happenings at a particular location . They are also used to honour aircraft . On occasions both small and large they may occur over land or sea , sometimes connected with memorial or thanksgiving services . Annual flypasts . The start of the Lord Mayor ' s Show in London each November is marked by a flypast over Mansion House . A flypast over Buckingham Palace is watched by the Royal Family each year following Trooping the Colour . On Canada Day 1 July , the Snowbirds of the Canadian Forces Air Command perform a flyby over Parliament Hill in Ottawa . International Flypasts . National or Republic Day celebrations . In many countries flypasts , normally performed by the precision aerobatic team of a country ' s air force , are an integral part of Republic Day or National Day celebrations . The Pakistan Air Force conducts a flypast every year on 23 March to commemorate the Lahore Declaration and the Republic Day of Pakistan which occurred on 23 March 1956 . This is done in Islamabad . In Singapore the National Day Parade on 9 August 2005 celebrated 40 years of independence with an elaborate flypast including two Chinook helicopter s flying the national flag past the Esplanade Theatre in Padang . Air Force anniversary celebrations . On 1 April 2008 , a flypast by the Red Arrows over Central London marked the 90th Anniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force . The milestone was also celebrated that June following Trooping the Colour 2008 with the RAF ' s longest - ever flypast : a line of aircraft stretching twenty miles in length , from airfields all over the United Kingdom . During October 2006 , the Indian Air Force celebrated its Platinum Jubilee with a flypast of around 78 aircraft , including the Sukhoi 30 MKI , the Mirage 2000 , and MiG - 25 attack aircraft . Flypasts associated with World War II . Anniversaries of World War II , such as VJ Day , have also been celebrated with flypasts in other countries , notably Australia and Canada . In 2003 , the Royal Australian Air Force commemorated ANZAC Day with a flypast of four aircraft - Harvard and Winjeel - over the Cenotaph in Ballarat , Victoria . The Royal Canadian Air Force at the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa honoured Canada ' s participation and commemorated the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain on 17 September 2006 . Modern aircraft performed a flypast along with four World War II planes provided by Vintage Wings of Canada who made a " once - in - a - lifetime formation " . The largest flypast in history occurred on the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender which formally ended the war between Japan and the allied powers in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945 . 400 B - 29 bombers and 3000 carrier aircraft participated . Marking the 50th anniversary of US spaceflight . On 7 May 2007 , hundreds of workers at Kennedy Space Center watched as US Air Force Thunderbirds performed a series of passes over the main industrial area , where the Space Shuttle is maintained and prepared for launches . The purpose of this demonstration was to photograph the planes at KSC for promotional purposes . Almost six months later , in November 2007 , the Kennedy Space Center hosted the inaugural World Space Expo . The opening featured an aerial salute to NASA with the Thunderbirds as the main attraction . Panic and disaster . Some Canberra residents panicked during a flypast in 2003 over Parliament House by two F - 111 jets , celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Australian High Court . It manifested itself as " two thunderously loud balls of flame screaming overhead at a height of about 300 metres and heading toward the city ' s landmarks . " Press releases had been issued , but the police had not been informed . In Goa , India during a ceremonial flypast to mark the silver jubilee of the Naval Air Squadron 315 in 2002 , the wingtips of two Ilyushin aircraft brushed in mid - air , with the subsequent loss of a dozen lives . The incident raised questions as to the necessity of flypasts which , " although spectacular and entertaining , can be risky " . Entertainment and sports . Flypasts also demonstrate national pride at landmark entertainment and sporting events . Indianapolis 500 . A flyby takes places prior to the start of the Indianapolis 500 mile race , the largest single - day sporting event in the world . Held annually on Memorial Day weekend , U . S . military aircraft perform a flyby while " Taps " is played in remembrance of Memorial Day . In some years , multiple aircraft participate , executing the missing man formation . London 2012 Olympics Handover Party . A flypast provided a close to the London 2012 Olympics Handover Party . The preceding pop concert , held outside Buckingham Palace , was attended by a crowd of 40 , 000 ( including guest of honour Michael Phelps ) in The Mall , down which the Red Arrows roared . Flypast consisted of 1st Wave : British Airways A319 - 131 - G - EUPC 2nd Wave : RAF Puma , 2 x RAF Lynx , 1 x RAF Sea King 3rd Wave : RAF E3D , 2 x RAF Typhoon 4th Wave : RAF Red Arrows United States sporting flyovers . In the United States , flyovers are common at professional sports and racing events as part of the performance of the Star Spangled Banner . The flyover had been a strong NASCAR tradition , as every major race features one , usually performed by an air force or air national guard wing based in the area , and in some cases naval and marine air units . It is also a staple of the national anthem at the Super Bowl and the Major League Baseball All - Star Game . However , due to budget cuts , the 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 may have featured the final flyover in American sports . A flyovers occurs at the beginning of the Men ' s Final of the US Open Tennis Championships . This is usually performed by the Blue Angels , the official U . S . Navy aerobatics demonstration squadron . Lord of the Rings premiere in New Zealand . New Zealand showed its pride at being the location for " The Lord of the Rings " , at the premiere in Wellington of the third film in the trilogy , " " . An Air New Zealand Boeing 747 - 400 flew in " Lord of the Rings " livery in a historic flight over Auckland , Hamilton , Tauranga , Gisborne and Napier , " enabling more than two million people , one in two New Zealanders , to share in the excitement of The Lord of the Rings " . This was the first time that a 747 - 400 had undertaken such a flypast in New Zealand . Italy ' s Football World Cup . Among the celebrations of Italy ' s Football World Cup victory in 2006 was a colourful flypast by the Frecce Tricolori at Pratica di Mare , streaming the red , green , and white of the Italian flag . Italy : Pavarotti ' s funeral . The funeral of Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti was sealed by a flypast ( image no . 11 in this BBC photographic gallery ) from Frecce Tricolori over Modena Cathedral , in his native town , on 8 September 2007 . Tens of thousands , who had filed past his coffin as it lay in state , witnessed the aerial show of respect and mourning . Canada : Grey Cup . In Canada , the Snowbirds perform a flypast after the national anthem of O Canada at each annual Grey Cup event , which is the largest sporting event in Canada .