DC July 4 Flyover Schedule: Every Wave

I already wrote about why DCA is closing for most of July 4. The short version: no departures after noon, all for America's 250th birthday. What I didn't do in that post was actually lay out why it takes that long. Turns out, once you see the full flyover schedule, the length of the closure makes a lot more sense.

This isn't the usual flyover. It's basically an air show that runs nearly ten hours straight, starting at 1 PM and not wrapping up until a B-1 afterburner pass just after 10:30pm that night.

I pulled the full timeline below so you know exactly what's happening overhead and when.

The Full Flyover Schedule

Afternoon (1:00 PM – 3:00 PM)

• 1:00 PM – NASA F-5 Flyover
• 1:24 PM – NASA Fleet Review
• 1:44 PM – USCG Helo Flyover
• 1:54 PM – USCG Fixed Wing Flyover
• 2:09 PM – Golden Knights, Leap Frogs
• 2:29 PM – Army Helo Flyover
• 2:44 PM – USAF Fleet Review, Wave 1: Heavies
• 2:54 PM – USAF Fleet Review, Wave 2: AFSOC
• 3:04 PM – USAF Fleet Review, Wave 3: Fighters

Late Afternoon (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM)

• 3:29 PM – Executive Rotary Wing Airlift
• 3:39 PM – USMC Fleet Review, Wave 1: Rotary
• 3:49 PM – USMC Fleet Review, Wave 2: Fixed Wing
• 3:59 PM – USN Fleet Review, Wave 1: Rotary
• 4:09 PM – USN Fleet Review, Wave 2: Fixed Wing
• 4:19 PM – USN Fleet Review, Wave 3: Fighters
• 4:21 PM – USN F-18F Demonstration
• 4:59 PM – USN Blue Angels

Evening (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM)

• 5:26 PM – USMC MV-22 Osprey Demonstration
• 5:44 PM – USAF Fleet Review: Fighters
• 6:02 PM – USAF Tri-Bomber Formation
• 6:05 PM – USN F-35C Demonstration
• 6:25 PM – USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration

Night (7:00 PM – 10:36 PM)

• 7:03 PM – Air Force One Flyover
• 7:07 PM – USAF Thunderbirds Delta Break
• 7:17 PM – HUGE 1 Flyover, led by the newly renovated Air Force One
• 7:38 PM – U.S. Stealth Airpower Flyover
• 7:39 PM – F-22 Raptor Demo
• 7:53 PM – F-22 Raptor in Afterburner
• 7:59 PM – B-1 Flyover
• 8:07 PM – B-1's in Afterburner
• 8:22 PM – Golden Knights Twilight Jump
• 10:36 PM – B-1 Afterburner Night Pass

Where to Watch

If you're staying in DC, higher ground along the Mall or a rooftop bar with an eastern view toward the river will give you the best shot at catching each wave.