“Very thankful to get the opportunity to do this”: DC Everest grad, Navy pilot to take part in Super Bowl flyover

WESTON, Wis. (WSAW) - A Weston native and graduate of DC Everest Senior High School, Lieutenant Darren Sanchez will be part of the military flyover during Super Bowl LX Sunday in Santa Clara, California.

The eight-aircraft flyover formation will include F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and F-35C Lightning IIs from Naval Air Station Lemoore in California, F-15C Eagles from Fresno Air National Guard Base in California and B-1B Lancers from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Lt. Sanchez serves as a pilot assigned to the “Warhawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 97 and will represent the Navy in the F-35C.

Lt. Sanchez told NewsChannel 7 that a lot of preparation goes into the flyover for the game.

“We fly on a regular basis, so you kind of have the stick and rudder skills already kind of built up throughout, but we’ll go through a lot of briefings talking about site pictures and then discuss a ton about safety and how we’re going to execute this properly,” Lt. Sanchez said.

After the flyover, pilots will land at the Air Force base, then get on a bus to watch the rest of the Super Bowl from inside Levi’s Stadium. The game will be Lt. Sanchez’s first-ever NFL game, and first time doing a flyover for a sporting event.

“I’m just excited for the opportunity to just set no expectations, just take it all in as it comes. So I’m very, I’m very excited just to watch the game and see all of it,” said Lt. Sanchez. “I’m just very excited, very thankful to get the opportunity to do this.”

Lt. Sanchez attended D.C. Everest Senior High School and graduated in 2015. He was a quarterback for the football team and pole vaulted in track and field.

Additionally, Lt. Sanchez earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019. He joined the Navy six years ago.

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