by Stacy Jackson

February 13, 2023

All-women Pilot Team Performs Historic Super Bowl Pre-game Flyover

These women made history soaring sky-high.

For the first time ever, the Super Bowl featured a team of all-women pilots during the U.S. Navy flyover that took place over the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, ahead of Sunday evening’s kickoff.

According to CBS News, the flyover was piloted by seven women, saluting the 50 years since women were allowed to become U.S. Navy pilots.

Sunday’s diamond formation was conducted by Lieutenant Peggy Dente and led by Lieutenants Arielle Ash and Saree Moreno, who only had a few weeks to prepare for the flyover.

“I think it’s a message not just to young girls, but to young people that they can do whatever they set their mind to,” Dente said. “And if they want to be a jet pilot, that is well within possibility for them.”

“It’s definitely a huge honor to be asked to do this and to celebrate those women that have paved this way for all of us,” said Ash.

Springfield, VA native, Naomi Ngalle, was also a part of the team of women pilots.

The Hill reported that the flyover has stood as a tradition since it was first performed at Super Bowl II in 1968.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.), a former Navy helicopter pilot, took to her Twitter to celebrate the women for achieving such a goal.

“I’m so proud of this team of women and look forward to watching them make history,” she wrote.

“We stand on the shoulders of giants. There’s a lot of people who make what we do possible…this is for them,” said Lt. Caitlin Perkowski, one of the women pilots who participated in the flyover. The tweet from the Department of Defense’s outreach account added that they were “looking forward to witnessing these women make history.”

The women pilots were visited last Thursday by NFL Hall-of-Famers, who thanked them for their service.


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