Government Shutdown Grounds Iconic Flyovers

One of aviation’s most ingrained cultural traditions is being disrupted due to the government shutdown now entering its ninth day.

According to a report from the Knoxville News Sentinel on Thursday, the military flyover for Saturday’s college football game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Arkansas Razorbacks has been canceled.

It will be the first time since November 2024 that Tennessee has not had a flyover at Neyland Stadium. In that particular instance, the flyover did not take place due to the evening start time of the game and the civil twilight restrictions facing the military unit.

The move marks at least the second flyover at a college sporting event that has been called off for shutdown-related reasons.

Last Saturday’s game between the Texas A&M Aggies and Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, also had its flyover shuttered due to the lapse in appropriations funding. It had been scheduled to be carried out by the Texas Military Department’s 36th Combat Aviation Brigade. 

Flyovers at athletic events in the U.S. have been a staple for over 100 years. According to the National Park Service, the first recorded military-involved spectacle came during the 1918 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. Sixty U.S. Army biplanes flew over Comiskey Park in Chicago during the first game of the series.

The exercises have continued to be a source of national pride and display of aviation awe throughout the years.  

These cancellations highlight the effect the government shutdown is having on the aviation community even in the most ancillary aspects, like military flyovers. 

More consequential effects have made their presence felt this week as flights at multiple airports across the U.S. were delayed due to staffing shortages with air traffic controllers, all of whom are working without pay while the shutdown persists. 

Earlier in the week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cautioned that the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes commercial air travel to small and rural communities, was set to run out of funds if a new spending deal was not reached by October 12. However, Duffy announced Wednesday that the DOT had secured additional funding to keep the service running on its own through early November. 

The EAS program supports 169 communities in the U.S. by helping keep them connected to the National Airspace System. 

On Thursday, the Senate is expected to vote for the seventh time on proposals to restore government funding.