The Blue Angels flew over South Florida to honor health care workers, and NBC 6’s Willard Shepard had a front-row seat to the spectacular show.
It’s now a memory — a moment on a sunny South Florida Friday when time stopped.
The images sent to NBC 6 signaled a respite from a pandemic, a moment when everyone's eyes were on the skies.
The sound of the Blue Angels' jet engines and their impressive formation was exactly what so many needed to see and hear.
The famous jets made their way across much of South Florida starting in Boca Raton, heading to the area's largest medical centers to send a 'thank you' from the sky.
They passed Marcy Hosptial in Coconut Grove to cheers from below.
At Jackson Memorial in downtown Miami, the doctors and nurses were cheering.
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Adriana Yankas, who is an occupational therapist in Jackson’s rehab area, told us, “I feel great. I feel very honored to be recognized for the hard work we provide patients every day."
The Blue Angels were flying a just under 300 miles and hour, so it didn’t take them more than 25 minutes to make the trek from north Broward all the way to Homestead and then back up western Miami-Dade and West Broward to Coral Springs.
Those in Downtown Miami got a chance to see them twice as they circled Port Miami.
Miami Police Lt. Virlon Adams was assigned to the port. “I think it's an honor and a privilege to be out here to see this spectacular presentation by the military for us who is out here day to day,” Adams told us.
The Blue Angel Commander leading the flight sent a message to everyone down below.
Commander Brian Kesselring, from Fargo, North Dakota said, "While flying air shows is our primary mission is flying flight demonstrations, one thing that is also coupled that that we do and we don’t get to do due to this pandemic is the community outreach — reaching out and helping and touching the lives inside of each community.”
Photos: Navy Blue Angels’ Flyover Sought to Bring Hope to South Florida Healthcare Workers
The doctors and nurses from area hospital paused for the thank you from above.
Then they returned to what is now their battle, the Blue Angels hoping their pass overhead encouraged them to keep going.
This flight plan the Blue Angels came up with was to make sure as many first responders and medical personnel saw them as possible, so from downtown they were only visible for a brief moment.
One police officer told us the show had brought him a sense of hope—exactly what the fighter pilots set out to do.
