JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Reserve Citizen Airmen from the 315st Airlift Wing at Joint Base Charleston are scheduled to fly a C-17 Globemaster III down the coast of South Carolina, July 4, 2019, as part of the 10th Annual Salute from the Shore.
Along with the C-17 being flown by the 315 AW from Joint Base Charleston, Marine Aircraft Group 31 from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort are scheduled to fly F/A-18C Hornets down the coast in formation.
Historic aircraft ranging from World War II all the way through the Vietnam War will also join the C-17 and F-18s.
The F-18s are scheduled to start the flyover at 1 p.m. followed by the C-17 five minutes later. The flyover will start slightly north of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in Cherry Grove. The flight will continue down the coast making flyovers near Pawleys Island, Isle of Palm, the Charleston Harbor, Folly Beach, Edisto Island, Hilton Head Island, and finishing in Beaufort about half an hour later.
“As the aircraft pass overhead, we hope citizens on the beaches and coast can observe and recognize the sacrifices that military members and their families make to provide us with freedom and independence,” said Spann Laffitte, board chair of Salute From the Shore in Columbia, S.C. “We are all incredibly in their debt.”
Salute From the Shore says that their mission is to “Unite participants in a synchronized salute to our troops that will be shared across the nation and across the world.”
Salute From the Shore is flying their 10th annual flight for July 4, which the C-17 was one of the inaugural aircraft that flew.
“I am honored to again fly the C-17 down the coast of South Carolina for Salute From the Shore,” said Capt. Dennis Conner, pilot with the 701st Airlift Squadron at Joint Base Charleston. “It’s a really proud moment for all of the crew and myself to be able to see all the appreciation and support from the ground.”
Flights like this allow our Reserve aircrews to train in a joint operating environment following a strict time table on a planned course with other military branches.
More information about the event can be found at https://salutefromtheshore.org/ or by visiting the 315th Airlift Wing Facebook page.