Dozens of planes will fly over the National Mall to celebrate general aviation Saturday.
“Watch out! On Saturday, 5/11, around noon, 60 planes symbolizing the history of general aviation will fly down the Potomac and over the National Mall,” the National Park Service (NPS) posted on the social platform X Thursday. “The authorized event is closely coordinated with the [Federal Aviation Administration], Secret Service, and other agencies.”
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), which describes itself as “a not-for-profit organization dedicated to general aviation” on a webpage about its history, is the group behind the event. According to AOPA, the event will feature 15 separate “chapters” of general aviation in the U.S.
“This special event will take place over one of Washington, D.C.’s most restricted flight zones, P-56, something that’s never been done with [general aviation] aircraft,” according to the event webpage.
”Onlookers on the ground and online will watch the aircraft fly above the Lincoln Memorial, down Independence Avenue, and past the Washington Monument,” the webpage continues. “Observing and providing commentary on the flyover from the rooftop of the National Museum of American History will be AOPA’s Thomas B. Haines and former CNN correspondent Miles O’Brien.”
The event will start at 11:30 a.m. at Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Md., and the planes will fly over Washington, D.C., from noon to 1 p.m. It will also be live streamed on AOPA’s YouTube page starting at 11:45 a.m., per the website.
