Sports

F-15 Fighter Jets to Secure Skies Over Super Bowl

"You watch the game, they'll watch the sky." Fighter jets will enforce a no-fly zone.


Small planes towing advertising banners are a common sight over Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. They’re in the sky hours before the start of games, concerts, and other events, slowly passing over spectators stuck in traffic or gathered for tailgating.

Not on Super Bowl Sunday - there’s a no-fly zone in effect. Flying overhead to enforce the restriction will be F-15 fighter jets. They’re already training for the big game. (Watch the above video of a recent training mission, including mid-flight refueling of a fighter jet in the skies over California.)

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“Just like the football teams get ready and prepare and train--so do we,” Maj. Andrew Scott told reporter Crystal Cruz.

The military is keeping its game plan secret by not divulging how many jets and support aircraft will be overhead.

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Commercial air traffic at nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport is not expected to be impacted by the no-fly zone.

As for private pilots, Maj. Scott says, “We try real hard to notify as many pilots as possible that there will be a temporary flight restriction in place.”

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