To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the publication of the American “Declaration of Independence,” France’s top-notch “Patrouille de France” flying display team from the French Air Force flew over the Statue of Liberty in New York on Tuesday, June 9th.
Eight Alpha Jet jet aircraft soared over Manhattan, releasing red, white, and blue smoke trails, painting a dazzling French flag in the clear sky. This iconic statue was a gift from France to the United States in 1886, witnessing over a century of friendship between the two nations.
Captain Brice Beaudouin, the leader of the display team, expressed to Agence France-Presse, “Frankly, flying over the Statue of Liberty is something I never imagined could be done in my lifetime. Being able to display the colors of our flag abroad truly adds a sense of excitement and pressure.”
This transatlantic mission, named “Liberty 250,” holds profound significance, aiming to highlight the crucial military support that France provided to the American Continental Army in their fight against the British monarchy during the American Revolutionary War. This has made France Washington’s “oldest ally.”
General Pierre Gaudillière, the commander of the French Fighter Aviation Brigade, emphasized that the bond between France and the United States, forged in both the Revolutionary War and the two World Wars, was cemented in blood and fire.
For this historic tour, the display team deployed an 85-person team, including the A400M transport aircraft, with the vertical tail fins of the military aircraft specially painted with both French and American flags. Furthermore, each aircraft is named after historical figures from French and American history, including American founding fathers George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, as well as the author of “The Little Prince,” renowned French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Before the mission concludes on July 5th, the formation will fly over past battlefields in Yorktown, Maryland, and Virginia, with a scheduled flight over the capital, Washington D.C., on June 22nd. Lastly, they will return to New York on July 4th, Independence Day in the United States, to deliver a grand finale for this historic 250th-anniversary celebration.