July Fourth goes "Next Gen" this year. For the first time, pilots from the 419th Fighter Wing will perform Independence Day flyovers in the Air Force’s newest fighter jet, the F-35 Lightning II.
he Air Force Reserve unit at Hill Air Force Base had previously flown over Independence Day celebrations in the iconic F-16 Fighting Falcon for the last 30 years. The Hill’s F-16s are being phased out and transferred to other base and the F-35 will now be the “face” of northern Utah July Fourth celebrations.
Hill received the F-35A in September 2015 and will be home to three fighter squadrons with a total of 78 aircraft by the end of 2019. Hill’s fleet of F-16 aircraft are slated to depart Hill AFB this fall.
Two of the jets will make their debut over more than a dozen cities, including Park City. The flyover for Park City will be between 10:30 and 10:45.
