Four World War II military aircraft will fly over the state on Saturday to honor frontline workers in the fight against covid-19.
The aircraft — one Goodyear F2G Super Corsair 1944 and three North American P51 Mustangs — will fly two laps over several cities, cruising at approximately 250 miles per hour at an altitude of 1,000 feet when above densely populated areas.
The formation is scheduled to fly over Bentonville at 8 a.m., according to a news release, 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 as follows:
8:00 a.m. Depart Thaden Field/Bentonville.
8:20 a.m. Springdale and Fayetteville w/laps around hospitals.
9:00 a.m. Fort Smith — 2 laps.
9:20 a.m. Russellville — 2 laps.
9:35 a.m. Conway — 2 laps.
9:45 a.m. Little Rock — 2 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 — 2 laps.
12:20 p.m. Texarkana — 2 laps.
12:45 p.m. El Dorado — 2 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.
3:00 p.m. Searcy — 2 laps.
3:20 p.m. Jonesboro — 2 laps.
4:00 p.m. Mountain Home flyover.
4:15 p.m. Harrison —1 lap.
4:35 p.m. Rogers — 2 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.
Walton was appointed in April by Gov. Asa Hutchinson to lead the task force on providing recommendations for reviving Arkansas’ economy.
Walton said “Arkansas: A United State” is an important message to communicate.
“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 the news release. “Social distancing prohibits us from shaking the hands of people we want to honor, but this flyover allows to do so from above. Just as a flyover event like this requires people to work together, so, too, does overcoming the challenges of this multifaceted 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 his stores' parking lots in the early years of the retailer to count cars as an indication of business activity, the news release said.
The Arkansas Economic Recovery Task Force has developed informational and educational resources to help businesses, nonprofits and consumers re-engage with the state’s economy. It is online at www.arkansasready.com.