LEMOORE, Calif. (KMPH) -
The military flyovers at the World Series Wednesday and Thursday nights are courtesy of Lemoore Naval Air Station.Thursday we spoke to two Navy pilots who buzzed AT&T Park a few hours later.
Navy Pilot David Bellis has flown countless missions around the world protecting our freedom. But he's never been asked to be part of a military flyover at a World Series. Fellow pilots from Lemoore got tabbed Wednesday night.
Bellis and another member of his strike fighter squadron Brian Lauber got the call for game two. "Doing a World Series is probably one of my biggest dreams and actually getting to go to the game I've never been to a World Series game. So excited."
Both pilots are baseball fans but Lauber roots for the Mets and Bellis likes the Phillies. The Pilot David Bellis says when they get to San Francisco air space there are variables to be concerned with. "Mainly just a whole lot of traffic. There's a busy airport there. A lot of civilian traffic and there's kind of a tight little airspace they've given us to hold in just before the flyover."
The fighter jets from NAS Lemoore cruise at an altitude of 1,000 feet and pull back the throttle for a 300 mph flyover. So is there time for the pilots to take a quick gander at the crowd? "You take a little peek but mainly you're just focusing on the guy leading the flight mainly just watching him."
Bellis has been flying for the Navy for six years. Lauber has twice that time in the cockpit. Thursday night it was a flying first for both that they will treasure for a lifetime.
