Fly Like an Eagle

The spectacular flyover by four California Air National Guard F-15C Eagle fighter jets honoring frontline healthcare workers was particularly poignant for longtime Montecito resident Annie Perkins.

Her nephew Major James Hastings of the 144th Fighter Wing, who lives in Paso Robles, was one of the four pilots who took off from Fresno and soared over hospitals, medical centers, fire stations, and government buildings during the two-hour flight which first headed towards Sacramento before banking west over the San Francisco Bay, then soaring over Santa Barbara and Bakersfield before heading back to the Central Valley.

The original flight plans also included Los Angeles, but changed course to accommodate a Southern California flyover by the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds two days later.

“It was quite a spectacular display,” says Annie.